Run On Caffeine
by DrPepperJ23
Summary: Join a team of people name after soda products on their adventure to fight the mindless creatures called Grimm, fight to protect their precious world, and to face many hard challenges. To do this they must become the Guardians of Peace...Ya know after being laughed at.
1. Prologue: Harsh Reality

** Author's note: Hello everyone! This is DrPepperJ23 here! I decided quite recently to remaster the prologue. I had gotten some advice about writing and wanted to use it. I hope it shows what I might have been missing. Also, this is to celebrate one-year anniversary for ROC. Er a year and few months to be exact. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy! The next chapter is being worked on currently, for those who were wondering. I will most likely do this again with the other chapters might not I don't know. It will be around the time when I finish volume one when/if I start doing that. Anyway, enjoy the read!**

Run On Caffeine  
Prologue: Harsh Reality  
(Remastered 2020)

"Have a good evening Dr. Pepper," The shop owner was closing the shop up for the day.

"You too, Ben," Pepper sighed sadly.

Ben comforted Pepper by patting his back. "Hey man, I know you really liked her, but it doesn't always work out."

"Yeah, I know, but she had a girlfriend! How was I supposed to know that?!" Pepper yelled in frustration. He stomped on the sidewalk cracking it a little then took a calming breath. "Dust, I need a drink."

Ben, in shock, took a step back. "Uhm, Pepper, you're not old enough to drink," he said slightly concerned.

"I mean a soda Ben," Pepper slowly looked at Ben. "I already have enough problems as is."

"Yeah, right, sorry... anyway have a good night," Ben awkwardly waved at Pepper as he walked away.

"Have a good night," Pepper waved back at Ben then took his scroll out. "Alrighty, is there any nearby place to get a soda? Let's see here," he searched up for nearby places. "Remnant's Heaven, I think I saw something about this place on Nevermore dot com. I think they were saying it was pretty good. Looks like it's poplar and it only just opened. I'll check it out," Pepper put his scroll up then headed for the pub. Pepper put his hands in his pockets as he walked on the sidewalk. He was bent over a little looking down. He started grumbling to himself. Pepper was clearly mad at himself make no mistake, however, he wasn't mad at himself because of the rejection itself. Rather, he was mad at himself because he thought he found happiness again.

After a few minutes, Pepper reached the end of the sidewalk with a lamppost next to it. He stopped and tilted his head up to see a neon sign across the street. "Ranment's Heaven" was written on the sign. The building itself did look nicer than the ones around.

"Well would you look at that. There it is," Pepper said. He stood straight then looked up to the starry night sky to see the broken moon. "Looks like we are both just as broken. Falling more and more apart each day, never knowing when we will be whole again. I just hope we both can be whole again," he sighed and walked across the street then went inside.

As he opened the doors, Pepper was greeted by the stench of alcohol in the air. He coughed a little as he swatted away the smell. 'Why does it smell so bad?' He thought as he saw the place was crowded. He saw people talking in the booths, some at the drinking at the bar, and some at the tables eating. They seemed to be having a good time, for the most part.

Pepper noticed two guys in the back in front of a booth arguing. A girl was sitting in the booth looking unhappy.

"OI! She said she wanted to go with me!" One man yelled.

"OI! She said she wanted to go home with me not you! Plus you're drunk!" The other man yelled back.

Pepper rolled his eyes. "Great," he said to himself. He then saw a couple of security guards walk up to them. "Better get a move along," he made this way to the bar.

"Alright you two, you both need to calm down or you will be kicked out," one of the security guards said.

"Dust off! Did I ask for your opinion?!" One of the men argued.

Meanwhile, Pepper shook his head and felt disgusted at the sight. He navigated through the tables and the people sitting around them. He overheard the angry men being taken away and thrown out by the security guards. He turned his head to see the guards walk over to the girl to check on her.

"Welcome to Renmant's Heaven! Renmant's paradise for all! What can I get you sir?" The bartender asked.

"I would like a Dr. Pepper," Pepper answered as he sat down.

"Coming right up sir," the bartender went to get the soda.

Pepper nodded and turned around in his seat. He noticed the floor was made of marble and the pillars holding the ceiling were made of stone. He also noticed the chairs were made of hard wood, while the tables themselves made from the same martial. He also saw windows in the front. He noticed the ceiling dust fans and saw they were shooting out a little mist of flame to remove the smell of alcohol. That was_ clearly_ working. Also are those dust fans a fire hazard? "At least the inside looks nice even if the place reeks," he said.

"Here ya go sir, that will be 150 Lien," the bartender put the drink down in front of Pepper.

Pepper jumped a little in his seat and turned back around. He then saw his drink. "Thanks, there ya go," he got his wallet out of his pocket and payed for the drink.

Bartender took the money then counted it. "Wow! Fancy lien you got here, where are you from?" He asked. "I never see costumers pay with such nice-looking lien before."

Pepper sighed and pointed at his hat with Weiss Schnee on it and his shirt with a Schnee Dust Company logo on it. "Where do you think?" He asked unamusingly. He then he took off his red leather gloves before taking a sip of his drink.

The bartender put up the money then he saw what he was wearing. "Right, Atlesian... So you a big fan of hers?" He asked.

Pepper nodded. "Yes sir, got her latest album just recently. It's one of her best ones to, shame how she doesn't get paid for it. SDC has ownership of her merch and whatever else she produces," he replied.

"Uh you know that because?" The bartender slightly confused.

"She told me in person, I know her personally. And it blew up all over the news," Pepper answered then took another sip of his drink.

"Oh, must have not been on HuntsBook… anyway enjoy your drink sir," the bartender left to go take care of another customer.

"Thanks, I will," he replied. Pepper looked inside of his drink. He saw his own reflection then he gripped his glass a bit before loosening. 'Momma, where did you go?' he choked up at the thought. He was reminded how kind and sweet his mother was when he was younger. His mother gave him his very first Dr. Pepper. It reminded him of the happy memories, yet it held some painful memories. He started to reminisce about his mother as he watched his soda crackle and fizz. He eventually put his other hand on it. He lifted his drink weakly to take another sip. Then he shed a tear. "I don't remember this being so heavy."

The door opened again, and Pepper looked over his shoulder to see who came in. It was a man in a nice silver like color coat and a black with blue strips bolder hat. He took off his coat and hung it up and took the two square metal boxes off it. He then went to sit down at the bar.

"Welcome to Renmant's Heaven! Renmant's paradise! What would you like?" The bartender asked.

"A Pepsi please," the man answered.

"Coming right up," the bartender said. He went over to pour the man's drink and bring it back to him. "Here ya go sir, that will be 150 Lien."

"Thanks," The man paid for it then drank some of his soda.

"No problem sir," the bartender took the money and put it up.

The man was minding his own business until he glanced at Pepper. He saw Pepper's face and the metal backpack he had on. The man stared for a minute or so before recognizing who it was. "Hey! Aren't you the kid that works at Huntsmen Delight? that weapon shop down the street?" The man turned his body to face Pepper.

Pepper turned his head to see the man. His eyes slowly widen and started to feel nervous. "Uhm, yeah I am," Pepper replied. He also recognized who the guy was. "Uhm, you aren't still mad about me grabbing the part before you, right?" Pepper started to sweat a little while smiling nervously.

"Mad? That doesn't even come CLOSE to describing how I feel right now! You stole the part I needed! And you then had the guts to tell me you had another one. You didn't even have another one!" The man slammed his hand onto the counter.

Pepper jumped out of his seat and stood up. "Look pal, I'm sorry about what I did! I was just trying to help a customer out and you blended in with our walls! Can't we just relax?" Pepper asked.

"It's too late for apologies kid! Imma teach ya lesson and there's no shop owner to save you this time. Also, a little payback for the scar you left on my face," the man pointed at his right cheek.

"Hey there pal! There's no need for violence," the bartender stepped into conversation then walked around the counter. "You need to calm down sir. The kid apologized for taking the part and we are here to just relax," he stood in between them.

"Excuse me, no one steals from me and gets away with it. You clearly don't know who I am, I am Pepsi! And I will not stand for this!" Pepsi angrily yelled. He backhanded the bartender over the counter, he crashed into the shelves of alcohol. Many of the bottles broke and the alcohol poured down the shelf like a waterfall. The bartender slowly fell off the shelf.

The security guards from earlier quickly ran over to Pepper and Pepsi. "Sir! Stand down and kindly leave the building or we will force you out!"

"Really? Threatening me are you?" Pepsi asked sarcastically. One of the security guards tried to grab him, but Pepsi smirked then grabbed him first tossing him aside into a table.

The guard crashed into the table made it spilt in two. The people around it screamed and backed away.

"Come here!" The other security guard threw a punch at Pepsi.

Pepsi lazily dodged it and smacked the guard into the window.

The guard flew over so many people, before busting through window and landed the sidewalk.

Pepper stood in awe as he watched the guards go down with ease. He looked around to see everyone then looked back at Pepsi. "Chill dude! That was rude ya dingus! You're scaring everyone!" Pepper pointed to the crowd showing the many expressions of fear and shock in their eyes.

Pepsi laughed. "Oh, really now? I was only taking it nice and slow," he said menacingly. Pepsi then picked up his drink and took a huge gulp. "So Ice king, what are you gonna do about it?" He was feeling smug with his drink in hand.

Pepper growled at his comment. He angrily put on his gloves back on. "I'll make you taste all twenty-three flavors mother flavor!" He grabbed a piece of a broken bottle of alcohol and smacked Pepsi over the head.

Pepsi didn't react fast enough to what Pepper was doing. He flinched and dropped his drink. The glass hit the floor and broke into a thousand pieces around his feet. "What on remnant did you say?" Pepsi had a look of confusion.

Pepper grabbed his drink then down in one go then wiped his face. "You heard me! I will make you taste twenty-three flavors!" He slammed down his glass.

Pepsi looked unamused and disappointed. "You done having a hissy fit or do you need another bottle for the pain?"

"What are you talking about? I hit you with the bottle," Pepper replied.

Pepsi grabbed Pepper's head slamming it into the counter. It caused some cups to fall over and break on contact. Some of them just rolled around on the floor. "Counter argument, it wasn't a good trade off," he punched him square in the face. He caused Pepper to go flying across the counter knocking over the remaining drinks over onto the floor.

People sitting at the bar freaked out and quickly moved away. "Dude, what is your freaking problem?!"

Pepper fell onto the floor and groaned. He lay there for a moment before slowly getting up. He put his hand on the table to help lift himself up. "Oh, ha, ha! Very funny Nevermore left. We ain't in court," he said.

"by the brothers, just break your auras already!" someone yelled. They were recording the whole fight and was getting impatient.

"Language!" Pepper shook his fist at them.

"Oh, grow up kid- OW!" The man stumbled back from getting hit by a stool.

"No one asked for your inpu-" Pepsi got cut off by a bottle decking him in the head.

Pepper had run at Pepsi. He swung a bottle at him with full speed.

The people started to scream and run out of the building. They were knocking over tables, chairs, and whatever was in the way. Plates, food, and glasses falling all over the floor. The security guy on the table got up and ran out of there as well.

Pepsi stumbled back a bit and caught himself using a seat. He grabbed a bottle from an unbroken part of the shelf and broke it over Pepper's head. Pepsi toss the rest of the bottle onto ground.

Pepper felt the alcohol dripped down his head. He was in a daze and going in circles. He dropped the bottle and eventually fell butt first.

"You know underage drinking is bad for you," Pepsi was confident as he grew a smirk on his face. He walked over to Pepper and stomped him in the stomach.

Pepper screamed and fell flat in his back. "Is this more of your _'clever'_ advice? What are you? A leader of an alcohol recovering group. Could have sworn this place was called Remnant's Heaven not hell," he tried to push Pepsi's leg off him.

"Oh for oum sake, " Pepsi was getting tired of this banter. Pepsi moved his leg off Pepper then he kicked him in the balls. He then headed for the exit.

Pepper screamed like a girl and held his balls. He rocked back and forth the floor on the broken glass. Not to mention the alcohol everywhere.

"Now then, with that over with, I'll just head on out of here and-" Pepsi got cut off by yet another bottle breaking on him. He angrily turned around and saw Pepper had gotten up.

"Oh no you don't!" Pepper then grabbed a nearby table and aggressively threw it at Pepsi.

Pepsi dodged out of the way of the table. He quickly turned around to see the doors were gone. "You wanna play more? Fine! I'll be happy to bilge," he turned back around slowly facing Pepper.

Pepper roared and grabbed a chair and threw it at Pepsi.

Pepsi caught the chair and threw it back.

Pepper dodged it and ran towards Pepsi.

Pepsi ran at him and tried to punch him.

Pepper ducked under Pepsi's attack and lifted him up. He then spun in a circle and threw Pepsi into a pillar.

Pepsi screamed as he smacked into the pillar. The pillar cracked instantly, and Pepsi slowly started to slide down onto his feet. He was disorientated.

Pepper took advantage and tackled Pepsi through the pillar. Pepper rolled onto the ground and stood up.

Pepsi flew into a booth crashing into the table and covered him up. "OW!" He slowly and painfully moved the table. He stood up and brush himself off. Pepsi was surprisingly not angry in fact he was impressed. "I must admit you certainly are strong," he said.

"Thank you, you're not too bad yourself Pepsiman," Pepper smirked and gave a thumbs up.

"Oh, please, the pleasure is all mine. But I am afraid this little fight is over," Pepsi put both of his hands inside of the metal boxes and transformed into gloves.

Pepper gripped his fists and had a cocky smile. He then took a serious fighting stance.

Pepsi chuckled. He raised his hand and shot at Pepper.

Pepper quickly lifted his arms to block the bullet. The force of the impact made Pepper fall back into the already damaged pillar causing it to shake.

Pepsi grabbed a piece of a broken table and threw it at Pepper.

Pepper sighed for relief. He then saw the broken table flying towards him. "Ek!" He ducked out of the way. The table caused the pillar to break and to collapse on top of Pepper. It took along part of the roof and a few dust ceiling fans.

Pepsi laughed. "Is that all you got soda boy?" He mocked Pepper. "Uh, What?" He then saw the rumble started to shake.

Pepper busted out of the rumble wearing a metal suit. "Really? You really thought that was the thing to finish me?" He shook his head in disappointment. He crossed his arms before he flew at Pepsi gripping his fist to attack.

"Uhm, well, I did sort of thought that did, but you know aura exists. That protects you," Pepsi got cut off from getting punched. 'Gods dust it why didn't I move?!' He thought. Then he grabbed Pepper's arm.

Pepper growled open his hand and shot a laser in his face.

Pepsi got blasted in his face and he let go of Pepper's arm. He held his face while flailing around. "OH MY GODS WHAT THE AFTERLIFE WAS THAT?!" He yelled. "Also what are you wearing?!"

"Uhm well I am… uh." Pepper said nervously. "I am wearing something."

"Something." Pepsi repeated Pepper.

"Yes, that's right," Pepper confirmed.

"You look like a book comic book hero," Pepsi unimpressed.

"And your poi-" Pepper got cut off then he gasped for air.

Pepsi had kneed him hard in the stomach then blasted Pepper out of the building.

Pepper screamed as he got launched out the door. He bounced across on the ground then slid. As he slid, sparks were flying as he went across the sidewalk and onto the road. Luckily, his suit and aura protected him from the rough landing. He rolled onto his hands and knees then stood up. He was regaining balance as he saw a bright light coming from inside.

"Go toward the light you comic book knock off!" Pepsi yelled. He then blasted a ball of electricity across the room with incredible speed. The floor was split in two and it destroyed more tables and chairs. It wrecked the entrance more as it reached Pepper.

Pepper ejected from his suit last second. The ball sent Pepper's suit and some debris flying towards another building with cars in front. it crashed into some parked cars. The cars blew up making the parts and more debris to fly everywhere. The nearby glass from the building got caught in the explosion and shattered.

Pepsi happily smiled and walked out of Renmant's Heaven and stood in the middle of the road. He saw the pure destruction and the beautiful flames he caused. "Glorious! Amazing! finally nailed that ki-" he cut himself off sensing aura behind him. He was concerned and carefully checked behind himself.

It was Pepper out of his suit charging up a bright light in his hands.

Pepsi was confused. He could not wrap his mind around how he was fine. "How did you get behind me?!"

"I ejected from my suit! I then quickly hid and let you walk out," Pepper explained. A smile slowly grew on Pepper's face before he chuckled.

"Oh? You think you are so clever?! Let me tell you that YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME! You will more than clever tricks to beat me!" He stated very strongly. He was about blast Pepper again, but something grabbed him. "What the?!"

It was Pepper's suit.

Pepper roared as he quickly fired the bright light into a concentrated beam.

"Dust me right in the aura!" Pepsi quickly shook off Pepper's suit. He then blocked the beam with his metal gloves. He then redirected it at the building behind himself. Pepsi heard the explosion above him and some more glass breaking.

Pepper's suit tried to tackle Pepsi, unfortunately, Pepsi caught it and threw it at Pepper. The metal suit would slam into Pepper sending them both back inside Renmant's Heaven. Pepper crashed into the dust fans and it ignited the alcohol. The building began to burn from within.

Pepsi saw the flames inside and formed a grin on his face, seeing the flames burning and flicking away. It made him happy. He finally got his revenge. Pepsi stared into the fire for minute before walking away. "I guess he lost his cool. A little dehydrated if you will," he laughed quietly to himself.

"Freeze! This is the VPD! We have you surrounded! Put your hands behind your head and slowly get on the ground!" An officer yelled out. There were cop cars all around Pepsi. The flashing of red and blue lights filled the area.

"Wow their pal! Let's get one thing straight, I am NOT taking any orders from you. You need to get out of my way," Pepsi demanded.

"Please drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head!" Another officer pointed his gun at Pepsi. He seemed like he was newer.

"be careful there, you might hurt yourself with that gun," Pepsi said sarcastically.

"S-shut up! You're under arrest for vandalizing Remnant's Heaven and assault!" The officer had some shakiness in his voice.

Pepsi rolled his eyes. "More unfortunate souls to get in my way," he said to himself. He slowly held out his hands as two white cold spheres formed in his hands.

"Green light! Open fire open fire!" The police shot at Pepsi; however, the two spheres simply blocked the shots.

Pepsi laughed maniacally as he walked forward. He felt more and more alive seeing the polices tremble in fear as they shot fruitlessly. The two spheres in his hands grew more and more. After a few seconds, his two spheres were fully charged. He unleashed it on the officers.

The officers screamed as they frozen in place, the cars broke into huge pieces as it was frozen, and there were a couple bullets shot sticking out of the ice as well. It almost looked like an ice sculpture you would see at a formal party.

Pepsi smirked at the twisted beauty of the ice. "What a masterpiece," he gave it an air kiss then bolted it out of there. He put away his weapon and pulled out his scroll as he ran, but it was broken in two. "Great, I better find a payscroll. I need a ride," he said to himself as he put away the broken scroll. He ran down the streets for a few minutes until He looked in ahead and had to stop abruptly. He slid across the ground and stopped after a few inches. He saw two people in front of a shop called Dust Til Dawn.

There was a girl in red holding a giant scythe and a man in white aiming his cane at the girl. There were bodies and broken glass on the road.

'Aw crap, better not go that way,' Pepsi nervously thought. He looked for a way around. He saw an alleyway and quickly hid in between two buildings. He saw it was a dead end and no way to climb over. 'Great! Now I need to find another way out! Can't go back where I came from. The cops were right there! I also don't wanna risk more cops showing up, what to do what to do.'

Meanwhile, the man shot red dust at the girl. The girl shot her scythe at the ground to dodge. The man quickly ran towards the ladder and the girl followed him after landing on her feet.

Pepsi heard the shots go off and peaked his head out. 'Yes! This is my chance to bolt' Pepsi thought. He came out of hiding and bolted towards the front of the shop. Pepsi checked to see if there were any payscrolls. He spotted one and ran for it then entered the booth. He then scrambled to take out some charge. "Come on, come on, here we go!" He put in some charge into the machine and quickly dialed the number. It started to ring. "Pick up, pick up..."

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Hello? It's me, Pepsi! Look I need you to pick me up in front of Dust Til Dawn. I have the cops on my tail and wrecked a whole bunch of them."

"What the dust?! I thought you were heading out to just get a drink. What the afterlife happened?!"

"Not important! Just get here as fast as you can. I don't have time for twenty questions!"

"Fine fine! I'll head out as soon as I can. See ya soon," the woman hung up.

Pepsi place the scroll back. He sighed with relief, but he heard something that like machines roaring. He slowly turned his head. He shook in fear as his vision blurred. Then he finally saw the source, Dr. Pepper. Now he was terrified.

Pepper roared loudly as the road behind him was just up in flames. He was beyond furious. He was rolling fast in a ball down the road. He reached Pepsi in no time and dropped kicked him.

Pepsi screamed loudly and sent flying. He was flailing his arms and unable to regain control.

Pepper landed on his feet and shot out a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Then he blasted off into the air.

Pepsi saw the bottle go over him and then landed ahead of him. It then blew up under him and his momentum shifted sending Pepsi into the air.

Pepper caught up with Pepsi and did a fury of punches then finished him off with a kick.

Pepsi was disorientated throughout the beatdown. He crashed into the road and made a crevice. Pepsi painfully sat up. "Son of an aura, that's gonna leave a mark," He then climb out of the hole and put on his metal gloves. He dusted himself off and cracked his knuckles. "I see SOMEONE is still kicking. Gods dust," He said feeling annoyed.

Pepper would drop to the ground. He landed on his feet and shoot out another Dr. Pepper bottle.

Pepsi saw the bottle flying in and knocked it away. "Nice try, but that trick won't work twice!" He said. He pointed at Pepper, while smirking, but his expression changed from being cocky to in shock by the secret second bottle. He tried to throw it away, however, it was already too late. It exploded and froze him in place. "You know I heard of keeping you drinks cold; this is just ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Pepper had his arms spread wide, charging up what was probably his last chance to defeat him, a laser. His body was screaming in agony as his aura levels rose. His aura glowing a bright red and roaring its power. Pepper would flinch occasionally, and he screamed in pain. But it was finally ready to go. Pepper had a miracle! "You thought I was gonna go down that easily!? A pushover that you can just walk all over?!" He shed a tear. It dripped onto his skin and evaporated. "I am, **DOCTOR PEPPER!** And you will taste…. all….. twenty-three… of… my… FLAVORS! THIS IS YOUR FINAL FLASH!" He unleashed his angry, his rage, most importantly his last hope. Pepper brought his hands together and the lights in his hands turned into crimson red light. It then burst into a laser.

Pepsi's eyes widen and he panicked. "Oh dust me! Crap crap crap!" He repeated. He then struggled to get one of his hands free, but He managed to break both of his hands free. He quickly blasted the ice and tried to run, unfortunately he was not fast enough. Pepsi screamed as his vision was filled with the bright red light. It consumed him, and his screams would soon fade away.

Pepper's aura broke after some time. He was breathing heavily. He felt so relieved. The laser would disappear slowly into the air. He started to cry and fell onto his knees, he did it, he finally won. The laser left the road spilt in two. His vision burred with tears of happiness, but he was able to make out the damage. Pepper fell over onto his back, his body hurting all over. He looked at the aura filled starry sky. Pepper's suit fell apart as it could not hold any longer. He did get up after a long rest and looked down at his clothes. He saw it was filled with holes and burned to a crisp. He also noticed it was stained with alcohol. "Crap dude, I have to get new clothes."

"Try nice kid! I am NOT going down that easily either!" A voice echoed out filling the air. The voice followed up with a laugh.

"What?!" Pepper looked around, but barely able to move.

A tall woman drove up with Pepsi in tow. She was driving a hover bike that was painted to look like an ice cream cone. The woman herself had the colors of a sundae.

"How are you still standing?!" Pepper questioned. He was clearly quite confused seeing he just blasted him full power. How could one survive such a blast?

"Well, it was my undying wish to SURVIVE!" Pepsi laughed again, before they drove off leaving a cloud of smoke.

Pepper coughed while fanning away the smoke. "Flavor piece of metal," Pepper said.

"Young man! What on remnant did you do?!" An older woman asked. Her arms crossed with a wand in one hand. She was wearing a white shirt with a black dress. She also had a Black and purple cape on her back. "You could have killed someone with that! Much less yourself! You're coming with me this instance!" She stared _dead_ into Pepper's eyes.

"Hey, wait! I can explain!" Pepper pleaded for dear life. He was totally screwed.

The older woman walked over and grabbed him by his ear and dragged across the road. She was unmerciful.

"Ow! Oof! Ek! Ah! That hurts that hurts!" Pepper said. His feet rubbed against the broken road as the woman dragged him.

The older woman tossed Pepper next to the girl in red with a scythe. "Follow me," she commanded as she pushed up her glasses.

Pepper and the girl nodded and gulped. They started to follow her down the sidewalk. They had walked for a few minutes before Pepper spoke.

"So, what's your name?" Pepper asked the girl. He noticed she was wearing a red hood and a black combat skirt. He also saw her weapon was resting on her hip. He also saw she had an ammo pouch. He took note of the silver eyes, something you don't see every day.

"I'm Ruby rose, what's your name?" She asked.

"I'm Dr. Pepper, pleasure to meet you. You are the nicest person I have met all evening." He answered.

Ruby giggled with her hands over her mouth. "Haven't had the best night huh?"

Pepper shook his head. "Not at all, I ran into a quite unsatisfied customer in a pub and we duked it out. What happened to you?"

"I tried to stop a dust robbery. That is when I ran into the coolest and most awesomeness huntress! Her name is Glynda Goodwitch, assistant of Beacon's headmaster, Professor Ozpin." Ruby gushed. Her eyes turned into hearts. She seemed fond of the professional huntress.

"Right…. Anyway, time to face the music." Pepper said.

Glynda led Pepper and Ruby inside and led them to a hallway with two rooms across from each other. Both rooms only contained two chairs and a table. Glynda sat Ruby in one room and sat Pepper in another. Glynda dealt with Ruby first.

Pepper sat in another room in silence for a little while. He pulled out a Dr. Pepper and drank some of it.

Glynda left Ruby's room and went into Pepper's room. "Dr. Pepper is it? You're in so much trouble," she then noticed the Dr. Pepper in his hand. "Where did you get that?"

"You don't wanna know that answer. Also, the guy attacked me first! He was hurting other people!" Pepper pleaded.

"Now, now, Glynda no need for such hostility. The boy has been through quite enough for tonight." The older man's voice was heard from the shadows. He then stepped out revealing himself. The older man was holing a cane in his hand. He wore a black vest with yellow buttons, he also was wearing a dark green coat and black pants. He also was wearing a green shirt underneath the vest. He had gray hair as well and he wore tiny black glasses.

Glynda sighed and walked out of the room, but not before she gave Pepper a look of disgust.

That sent a shiver down Pepper's spine.

The man sat down across from Pepper. "I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon academy, I heard about what happened, care to explain?"


	2. Chapter 1 The 'Light' of the World

Chapter 1

The 'Light' of the World

"Legends, stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past." A mysterious woman begun telling. "Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness – creatures of destruction – the creatures of Grimm – set their sights on man and all his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void." She was telling the story, but she was cut off by someone.

"What the hugs are you doing?!" A small, chibi girl yelled. She then put her hands on her hips. "That's not how at all how that goes!" She stated furiously.

The woman turned around. "Yes, that is how it goes. Wait a second, Weiss?! What are you doing here? And why are you wearing that dress? You don't wear that until later! We just started the story!" The woman yelled.

"Excuse you; I am Weiss Schnee, the Hug Machine! And I keep the world from falling apart while you, over there, make gods fly into the moon shattering it! Along with all of humanity being taken out with it!" The Hug machine exclaimed.

"Well, excuse me for being a little upset about my husband being dead!" The woman said. "Besides, I didn't see you doing anything about it." She added.

"I was taking a na- you know what? Nevermind, I'll do this... " Weiss said, as she grabbed the woman. Then she spun her like Mario in Super Mario 64 with Bowser. She then threw her so far that she blew upon impact.

"AHHHH!" The woman screamed as she got flung across the room. She screamed again after blowing up.

Weiss dusted her hands off. "Alright, it's time to fix this whole mess." Weiss said, then she cleared her throat. "Now then, this is how it actually all started." She said, telling the real story as we check back in with DP.

"And that's why I was firing the laser." Dr. Pepper explained, before sighing in relief. Then he grabbed his soda to drink it.

"I see, so you were fighting a man who went to the shop you worked at, and he was getting back at you because of what you did." Ozpin said. "Hm, can't say I don't sympathize with your situation, but I can't entirely agree with your… methods." Ozpin said, concerned.

DP smiled happily.

Ozpin sighed. "That, however, doesn't excuse your actions, but I am willing to help." He added.

Glynda was shocked. Her eyes widened in disbelief what she just heard. "What did you just say, Ozpin?" She asked, surprised.

"I said, I want to help him." Ozpin repeated.

"Uh- what? Really?" DP asked, with hope in his voice.

Ozpin nodded. "Of course, but you have to clean up your mess. The one you made outside of the dust shop." Ozpin said. "In return, I'll let you attend Beacon to become a huntsman." Ozpin added.

"Really!? Oh wow, I would love that! Wait a second, how did you know I wanted to go to Beacon?" DP asked, being very confused.

"Well, your mother, she talked a lot about you becoming a hero. She said you always wanted to help people in any way possible." Ozpin said before sipping on his coffee. "She thought you be a great huntsman." Ozpin added.

DP was taken back by Ozpin statement. Then his eyes widen before he looked away.

The room was quiet. Just silence. It made everyone in the room uncomfortable.

Glynda tried to speak after a few seconds, but Ozpin stopped her.

Ozpin sighed, "Glynda, Take him home." He finally spoke.

"Ozpin, this isn't appropriate." Glynda argued.

"Glynda. Now." Ozpin demanded. "It's no use talking to him. Trust me. I am afraid I may have opened up old wounds." He said in defeat as he grabbed his cane and slowly walked out of the room.

Glynda shook her head. "Alright, come on, Dr. Pepper. I am taking you home." She said, crossing her arms.

DP moved his head in Glynda's direction. DP then stood up slowly. He was moving sluggish, feeling hurt.

Glynda, despite being annoyed she still escorted DP out the building. 'I don't even know where this kid lives.' She complained in her mind. "Dr. Pepper, mind telling me where I need to bring you?" She asked out loud while looking at DP.

DP was silent, for a moment, just kept to himself. "Uhm…. I'll just write it my address down and give it to you." DP spoke quietly, just enough for Glynda to hear it as he wrote it on his scroll. He then showed it to Glynda.

Glynda sighed, then she copied the address on her scroll. Then she used the GPS, on her scroll, to find the way there. 'This is gonna be four, long years.' She thought as she led the way.

They walked to his house. It took a while, like an hour or so. It would have taken sooner if DP didn't go to the pub in the first place, but I digress. DP slowly, yet sadly, went up to his door, then he pulled out his keys and unlocking his door.

"Dr. Pepper, would you like to talk about what's troubling you?" Glynda asked, being concerned about his well being.

"No ...I'll be fine, honest." DP said, with a single tear going down his cheek, while his back turned against Glynda and opening his door.

"Well, then, have a good night, Dr. Pepper." Glynda said, awkwardly, and unsure what to do, as she watched him go inside.

DP turned his head around. "Thanks…. Miss…" He replied, sadly, as he slowly went inside his house.

Glynda was feeling down by tonight's events. Her walking DP home just made it worse. As she was walking away, she asked herself, "I wonder why he shut down after Ozpin said something about his mother?" She couldn't put her finger on why. "Hm, I wonder Ozpin knows something about it." She wondered while walking back.

DP had locked his door, then he sighed. He pulled out his bottle of Dr. Pepper again, taking another drink of it. "Mommy… I will help you…" He said quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, with Pepsi.

"OW! That bloody kid! First, I left my coat at the pub, and then it gets ruined. Also, a KID tried to kill me tonight! Gods dust." Pepsi said, angrily, while holding his arm. Then he punched a hole in the wall.

"Calm down there, Pepsiman." A woman said as she patted his back.

"Shut up, Neberpop!" Pepsi said as he pulled his hand out of the wall.

Neberpop giggles a little as she went to sit down on a chair.

A little kid enters the doorway. He looks young. "B-Brother? Did something happen, brother?" The kid asked, feeling scared, as he was standing in the doorway. He was watching and hiding behind the door.

Pepsi sighs. "No, nothing happen Pepto." He reassured Pepto as Pepsi rubbed his face then he sat down.

"What are you doing here, Kiddo? Kids like you should be with your parents. Who are you anyway?" Neberpop asked as she checked her scroll.

"It's okay, Neber; he's my little brother." Pepsi answered.

"Oh? I wouldn't have guessed it." Neberpop said, sarcastically.

"Neber, you asked the question, and you got a response. Why ask if you already knew? Dust, you met Pepto before! Why are you even asking in the first place?!" Pepsi asked as he was looking at Neberpop.

"It was a rhetorical question." Neberpop said.

Pepsi rolled his eyes. "Right…" He said.

"My mother dropped me off here. She has something to do." Pepto finally answered Neberpop's question before entering the room.

"Uhm, what?! At this time of night?! What could she possibly be doing this late out?!" Pepsi asked, confused, and scratching his head.

"She said it was bingo night." Pepto said, happily and innocently. He sat next to Neberpop then he rubs his stomach a little.

"Bingo night?! I thought it was on a Tuesday night! Gods, I bet mother didn't want to deal with your condition…" Pepsi said, sighing, then he went to grab a Pepsi.

"Aw…." Pepto said, feeling sad, with his head looking down.

Neberpop gasped. "Pepsi! Shame on you!" She angrily said as she comforted Pepto.

"What?! He's constantly going to the bathroom!" Pepsi yelled back as he grabbed his drink, then closed the fridge.

"It was very unnecessary! Also, what does that mean anyway?!" Neberpop yelled, at Pepsi then she turned to the Pepto. "Aw, it's okay baby, he's just a big meanie head." Neberpop said, talking to him like a mother.

Pepto smiled, then he hugged Neberpop.

Neberpop hugged Pepto back while gently rubbing his back.

Pepsi, being annoyed, rolled his eyes. "Mother named him that because he frequently goes to the bathroom as I said before! His stomach is always upset!" He said, enraged, then he took a sip of his drink and stormed out of the room.

Pepto started tearing up, and then he started to cry.

"Oh, crap! Please don't cry! it's okay!" Neberpop said, being concerned. She started holding him close and trying to calm him down. "Dust it, Pepsi! You made him cry! Thanks a lot." She complained, then she gave Pepsi a look of disgust.

"Hey, don't look at me! I didn't name him that! Take that up with my mother!" Pepsi yelled, at Neberpop looking into the room. "Look, you deal with him. I have to set up the guest bedroom for the little crystal." Pepsi added, as he, begrudgingly, went to the guest bedroom.

Neberpop rolled her eyes then she shook her head. "Fine… Also, watch your mouth; we have a child here." She said, sharply, while rubbing Pepto's hair.

Pepto smiled, then he held his stomach. "Oh, gods…" He said as he ran to the bathroom.

"Oh… So that's what he meant." Neberpop said, disgusted while hearing terrible noises in the bathroom.

A few weeks later.

DP had cleaned up the road in front of the dust shop, along with a broken window. Also, he helped with repairs on the pub, as an apology, while doing his part of the deal he made with Ozpin. DP was finally enrolled in beacon and riding on the airship to beacon. "Yes, finally! Something goes right for once!" He cheered with glee. "I am going to beacon academy! It is the best school to become a huntsman. I am finally making my dreams come true!" He said to himself with joyous sounds. DP was celebrating his victory with dancing and chugging bottles of Dr. Pepper down. Of course, he had water to stay hydrated. People were staring at him like he was crazy. They would make comments to each other about it.

"What is this kid doing?" One person said.

"Is he okay? I don't think that kid is right in the head." Another person said.

"DP! Where have you been?! We have been looking all over for you." A girl with a giant sword on her back said, sharply to DP, while walking up to him.

DP froze. He turned around, cautiously, then he saw the girl. "Wind?! What are you doing here?! How did you find me?!" He asked, in shock by her presence.

"Actually, it's Sprite now… Long story, anyway, where were you all this whole time? We were worried sick about you when you disappeared! What have you been doing?!" Sprite asked, being very frustrated and angry.

DP was covering his face up as she was yelling at him. He then uncovered his face after she was done and sighed. "Look, I have been here for the last twelve months making weapons for a living. And I was dealing with a lot of crap beforehand. I really don't want to repeat, and I really don't need your sass right now!" DP replied with annoyance. "Also, why is your name, Sprite? I thought you didn't like being called that?" He asked, with confusion.

Sprite grips her fist. "If you must know, I was at a tournament that was being sponsored. I was wearing the same colors as the sponsor. Their name was The Final Sprint. I had won the fight. And the commentators, while announcing the winner, said Sprite instead of Sprint. Ever since then, I have been called Sprite." She explained while still holding a grudge. "And, I hate it." She stated.

"Why not just tell people your actual name? Surely that must help in some way." DP asked.

"Don't you think I have tried? It doesn't work. People still call me Sprite and completely ignore me." Sprite answered. "It's Irritating." She added.

"I see, well at least you're trying to deal with it." DP said, looking away for a second, before looking back. "Anyway, it's good to see you and all Sprite, but I am here to train at Beacon and not going back to Atlas. I really don't want to deal with my father…" DP said, before drinking another bottle of Dr. Pepper.

"First of all, I am not here to take you back. Secondly, you can't keep running away from all your problems, DP. You are going to have to face them one day." Sprite said, looking down and to the side from him.

"Just watch me." DP said, bluntly. "Wait a second, then why are you here, Sprite?" He asked, wondering.

Sprite was silent for about a minute before answering. "I was offered a scholarship to come to beacon and train. " She answered.

"Oh, congrats, Sprite. I'm proud of you." DP said, with a smile.

Sprite smiled a little at his compliment. "Thanks, DP. That means a lot, despite what you did. I'm glad to see you haven't changed much." She said.

DP and Sprite, while talking, both heard someone barfing. They started to look around to find what had happened.

"Ew, ew, ew, gross, gross! Not on my boots, vomit boy!" Ruby yelled, backing away.

"I'm so sorry! I get motion sickness!" The blond boy said apologetically. Then he covered up his mouth and ran for the nearness bathroom to barf again.

"Oh, hey, it's Ruby, next to the smoking hot blonde. Hey Rub-" DP got cut off by the holographic Glynda welcoming students to beacon.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." Glynda stated.

After Glynda's welcoming message, the airship decides to land a few minutes later and dock itself.

DP and Sprite, along with everyone else, unboarded from the airship. DP saw the magnificence of Beacon Academy.

DP and Sprite were taken back by the view of the school. They were stunned by its beauty. Just seeing the castle-like structure in person is quite different than seeing it on a TV screen, or pictures from the web.

DP takes a deep breath. "Man, Beacon is way cooler than I imagine." He said excitedly before he ran off the ship and onto the cement pathway.

"Pepper, we just got here. Just chill for a sec." Sprite said, with her arms behind her walking off the ship as well.

"Oh, shush, Sprite. It's the simple things in life we need to appreciate." DP replied, before sticking his tongue out at her.

Sprite rolled her eyes in response. "So childish." She said.

DP smiled happily.

Then someone ran past them.

"What on remnant?!" DP yelled.

"Huh?" Sprite said as she looked to see who it was.

It looked like a girl with a dog's tail. It seemed to be a golden colored. She also wears a lot of orange. She does have something in her mouth. DP and Sprite can't quite make it out what it is.

"You get back there with my dust! You, dust, dirty, mud!" The man yelled while running after the dog Faunus.

"Well, I can already tell this is gonna be fun four years." DP said, putting his hands on his side.

"I'm sure it can't get any worse." Sprite said before a huge explosion went off.

It caused both DP and Sprite to fall.

The explosion would make a huge cloud of smoke to appear. There was also a sound of something being frozen. Then after a few seconds, there was yelling, and an argument followed suit.

DP and Sprite slowly got up grunting.

"You okay, Sprite?" DP asked as he got up.

"Yeah. What was that explosion?" Sprite asked as she looked over where black smoke came from.

"You dolt! You could have ruined my brand, much less killed us!" The girl in white yelled at Ruby.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! You kept waving the dust powder in my face. It made me sneeze!" Ruby explained.

"I don't care! You need to be more careful, dolt." Weiss said in a serious tone.

Ruby looked down and kept touching her two fingers together.

"Oh, my goodness! It's Weiss Schnee!" DP said, Excitedly with hearts in his eyes. "Oh, and Ruby is there too." He added.

Sprite rolled her eyes. "Of course, it is." She said unamused.

DP shook his head. "But I must jump into action! Ya, whoo!" He said, like Mario, before running towards them. He then triple jumped towards them.

"Hey, wait! DP!" Sprite said, trying to grab him, but she wasn't fast enough. Seconds later, she then tilted her head a bit watching DP. 'The dust is he doing?' She thinks.

DP then landed beside Ruby and Weiss. "What seems to be the problem?" He asked.

Ruby and Weiss jump a little.

Weiss then saw who it was. "Oh…. Pepper, it's you. What do you want?" Weiss asked.

"I saw an explosion and MY duty is to investigate said explosion. Are you two okay?" DP asked, concerned.

"We are fine. Leave. NOW!" Weiss demanded.

DP, in a cartoony fashion, shrunk. "uh...Yes, mam." He said, in a high pitch voice, then he grew back.

"Uhm, yeah, we are good. Thanks for asking." Ruby said, quietly.

"You're welcome, Ruby." DP said before patted her back a little.

Ruby shivered, but she smiled a little.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Pepper!" Sprite yelled, angrily.

DP jumped and turned around. "What Sprite?!" He replied.

"We need to leave! We are going to be late!" Sprite said.

DP was gone as soon as she started speaking. He left behind a dust form of himself before it disappeared.

Weiss and Ruby looked around to see where he went.

"Wait, what?! Where the afterlife did he go?!" Sprite asked as she was searching for him. She then spotted him running towards the auditorium. "What are you doing?!" She asked.

"Meet you inside, Sprite!" DP said as he started spin dashing toward the auditorium.

"Pepper! Pepper, get your metal hind over here!" Sprite yelled back as she started chasing him.

"Never!" DP yelled as he went inside the auditorium, while spin dashing through the doors.

"Ugh, I guess we were going there anyway. So, it really doesn't, I suppose." She said as she threw her giant, long sword in front of her. She then started chasing her sword. She then would activate her aura, and then she uses the wind, to fling herself forward. She then landed on her sword like a skateboard and rode the wind to get inside.

The students, from the airship, went inside the auditorium to listen to Glynda, and then they sat through Ozpin's speech. They were told they would be staying in the ballroom for the night, and teams would be formed tomorrow. So, they headed over to the ballroom, after they were dismissed.

Sprite was setting up a sleeping bag away from everyone… expect for DP, who refuses to leave her alone.

"Man, that speech was BORING!" DP said as he fell on his sleeping bag.

Sprite sighed. "DP, of course, you thought that." She said as she finished up, setting up her sleeping bag.

DP rolled his eyes. "Also, why was Ozpin so… vague for?" He asked.

"I don't know, DP. Please, I don't want to talk about it. Dealing with you was bad enough." Sprite said, being annoyed.

"Fine, if you say so. Not sure what your problem is, but I'll stop." DP said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Not you again!" Weiss and a blonde chick said.

Sprite looked over. "Oh, no. More problems." She said, more annoyed as she tried ignored it while lying down. But they kept going.

DP chuckled. "Did you think we were done having problems? It's beacon academy, it is known for having ongoing problems, despite being the best school to train at." He explained.

"Yeah, but it should not have so many problems already before we even make teams." Sprite said.

"Bark!" Was heard near the corner of the room

"Huh?" DP said as he looked over where the sound was. "Oh, yeah, it's the Faunus from earlier." DP said, pointing to her.

Sprite looked over to see the orange Faunus going in circles. "Oh, great. Even more problems." She said.

The Faunus yawned and curled up like a dog in the corner.

"Hmm, Imma go ask why she stole that dust." DP said as he got up.

"DP, there is no need to be so nosy. Just leave her alone." Sprite said.

"Can't hear you, going now." DP said as he went over to the Faunus.

Sprite rolled her eyes and then went to sleep.

DP walked over to the corner. "Uhm, hello there." He said as he went over to the Faunus.

The girl looked up and then she stood up. "Hello there!~ How may I help you?~" She asked, energetically while her tail sways back and forth.

"So, I saw you earlier today and heard you had stolen a dust crystal. Why did you steal it? You could have easily bought one for yourself." DP said.

The girl's eyes widen, and her tail lowered. "Oh... that was you, I ran past? Uhm, well, that is none of your business." She said, defensively and then growled at him. Her tail was also in an upward position.

"Oh, right, sorry, I don't know what I was thinking or why I asked. Anyway, you have a nice night." DP said, nervously and scared. He slowly backed away and went back to his sleeping bag to lay down.

"Hmph. Rude." The girl said, as she curled, along with her tail, back up on the floor and went to sleep.

'Stupid stupid stupid! You never think before you act! Dang nabbit. Oh, well, I'm sure it'll be better tomorrow.' DP thought, before he fully fell asleep.

**Author's note.**

**Thank you y'all so much for reading! I would take a minute to thank mixed coffee for the cover of my story! Go check her out on twitter mixed_coffee and follow her for more amazing art! I would like to thank my beta reader for all their help. Sadly, they were too busy to read this chapter, so I couldn't ask them and had to do it myself this time. Anyway, have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 2 Teamwork

Run On Caffeine

Chapter 2: Teamwork

It was morning. The start of a new day. The day of teams coming together. The day we all waited for. The day we open that door. But in this case, it was a catapult flinging students into a dangerous forest.

DP was still sleeping and snoring up a storm. Other students were fast asleep fortunately. The sunlight was beaming into the room and landed on DP's face. DP groaned and rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head.

Sprite was already awake and sitting on a bench. She was staring out onto the horizon thinking about the life she had back in Atlas. "Beacon is not what I was expecting. Yeah, it's only been one day, but I already seen trouble all over the place. And Pepper hasn't been the caused it so far." She said to herself as she leaned back on the bench. "I have a feeling DP has already gotten myself into trouble. I guess that will be something for another day." She continued, before she sighed.

"Uhm, do you tend to talk to yourself?" A student asked as he came out from the shadows.

Sprite was startled by the student. "Oh goodness! How long have you been there?!" She asked as she turned to him.

"I was here the whole time." The student said as he put his hands in his pockets and walked towards her. "You live around here?" He asked.

"No, I am from Atlas. I'm Wind, what's your name?" She asked.

"Aquafina, but you can call me Aqua." He answered as he sat down next to her.

"Nice to meet you Aquafina." Sprite said.

"Same to you." Aquafina replied as he took a good look at her for a minute. "Wait a second, aren't you Sprite? From the tournament Atlas held a few years back?" He asked.

Sprite sighed. "Yes, I am Sprite." She admitted, resentfully.

"Aren't too fond of that nickname, huh?" Aquafina said. "Anyway, back to my original question, you talk yourself often?" He asked.

"No, I was just thinking out loud. I haven't had a chance to since I left." Sprite answered.

"I see." Aquafina replied. "I usually keep to myself. That's mostly because I work at a dust shop with my dad. I don't much free time." He said as he took out a water dust crystal.

"I also keep to himself, normally, but a certain friend of mine just LOVES being nosy. He's a pain, but he does means well." Sprite said as she put her hands behind her head, while leaning back.

"Wasn't he the guy who slept near you?" Aquafina asked.

Sprite nodded. "He's the one I am referring to. Why do you ask?" She asked.

"No reason. He just looks familiar." Aquafina said as he turn the blue dust into water and it started to move.

Sprite watched in amazement at Aquafina controlling the water in the air. "Oh, is your semblance?" She asked.

Aquafina nodded. "Yeah, it is." He answered, before he drank the water in the air.

"Can you sense water or possible use your semblance to find water?" Sprite said.

Aquafina shook his head "I can't sense water nor use water I can't see. At least I don't think so." Aquafina said as he thought about it.

Sprite giggled a little. "Well, we should probably get some breakfast." She said as she stood up and stretched.

Aquafina nodded and stood up as well. "Yeah, I agree. But are you gonna get your friend?" He asked.

"I'm not his mother. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself." Sprite stated as she walked to the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, DP was still sleeping, but then something slithered over him. DP, slowly, opened his eyes to see a green, scaly tail. "AHHH! A SNAKE!" He yelled as he blasted it with his laser.

"AHHH! The dust dude!?" The snake Faunus, screamed, as he moved his tail quickly towards himself, and he checked to see if it was okay.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to blast ya like that! I thought there was a snake on me. I was scared." DP said, while quickly getting out of his sleeping bag.

"I am a snake Faunus, but it's fine. Just watch where ya shooting dude." He said as he waggled his tail.

"Oh, I see, uhm, my bad. I didn't realize…" DP said as he lower his head and backed away slowly.

"Hey, hey, it's fine dude, honestly. I'm Luka by the way." He said as he lowered his tail back on the ground.

"I'm Dr. Pepper, Nice to meet you." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, why was your tail on my legs?" He asked.

"Oh, I guess I wasn't paying attention where my tail was, My bad." Luka said. "Anyway, see ya at the cliff." He said, before he slithered away.

"Wait…. At the clif- oh crap!" DP said as he realized what today was, and then he looked at his scroll. "Oh, thank goodness… it isn't time yet… Better go eat before initiation starts." He said as he curled up into a ball then he spindashed out of the ballroom.

Meanwhile, a Faunus in a dress was getting out of his sleeping bag and stretched. He turned his head to see something fly past him and felt a strong gust of wind. "Oh dust!" He screamed as he fell onto his sleeping bag. "ow…"

The first-year students, after having breakfast, made their way to the cliff in front of The Grimm infested forest. Ozpin was standing on the edge cliff sipping on his hot chocolate. Glynda standing right next to him holding the scroll pad. Students were told to stand on one of the many launch pads and wait for further instructions.

"Hello, Students. Welcome to the Emerald forest. This is where teams will be formed, and your skills will be tested as you trek through the forest. You will need to reach the temple to collect one of many relics." Glynda started explaining. "There will be huntsmen and huntresses watching from a far, but they were instructed not to interfere unless necessary." She stated. "The teams will be teams of fours and you will need a partner before collecting a relic and returning to here."

DP took a drink of his Dr. Pepper. "Oh? I guess the rumors were true." He said to himself.

"Do not hastate to destroy everything in your path. This place is very dangerous, any questions?" Ozpin asked before taking a sip of his hot coco.

"Uh, what do you mean destroy everything in your path?" A blond student asked.

"Good, no questions. We can move on." Ozpin said.

"Uhm, I had a question!" The blond student repented.

"We will be launching you into the forest and you may use any landing strategy you like." Glynda said.

"And after landing, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin stated.

"What?!" Ruby yelled as she threw her fists behind her.

'launching students into a deadly forest? Seems quite reckless.' Sprite thought.

"Now then, if we don't have any questions, we can proceed." Glynda said.

"Uhm I STILL have a question." The same student said.

"No questions, good. Have fun!" Ozpin said as he sipped his drink as students started to be launched.

"Hey! Wait a second you never let me ask my question!" The blond student yelled, before being launched into the air screaming.

DP laughed before being launched into the air. He flew across the sky using his suit. After reaching cruising altitude, DP looked around at the forest. "Wow, the view is amazing from up here. Thank you, Atlas tech!" He said as he saw the beautiful green trees, the students landing, and someone screaming.

"Someone help me! Some IDIOIT got in my way!" The dog faunus screamed as she was losing control and trying to correct herself.

"Oh, dust me! She's not gonna make it!" DP said to himself as he stopped in the air and beelined towards her.

The dog faunus tried to fire her arm gauntlets to gain control again but couldn't gain back control. "Oh, crap, crap, crap!" She screamed repeatedly.

"Dang nabbit! I have to go faster!" DP said to himself as he gripped his fist as his suit popped off him. He then curled up into a ball and started to spin. His suit grabbed him and threw him like a bowling ball at the girl.

The dog faunus kept trying to correct herself until DP caught her. "Ahh!" She yelled as she was caught.

"Did someone call the fire huntsmen rescue?" DP said before he chuckled, while his suit covered his body again as they fell.

She was silent. She was offended by his joke and even more annoyed than before. "..Wow, racist." She said as she crossed her arms.

"Come on! That was a good joke! Plus, I just saved you from falling! Can you be a little grateful?" DP said as he used his suit to slow their decent.

"Could you not open up with a terrible joke after saving someone?" She asked. "And also NOT be racist at the same time!?"

DP rolled his eyes. "Geez, someone is cranky." He said while he descended to the forest.

"Sorry, I'm just upset. Mister mid-evil knight decided to suck at landing." She admitted angrily.

"Yeah, it be like that sometimes." DP said as he landed and put her down. He took a good look at her before realizing who it was. "Wait a second, you're the faunus from yesterday!"

She sighed. "Of course, it's you." She said as she rubbed her temples. "I guess we are teammates now. I'm Orange Fanta, nice to not rip you a part."

That chill sent down DP's spine. "I'm Dr. Pepper, nice to meet you… I think." He said as he was slightly more scared.

Fanta giggled. "But, seriously, thanks for saving me. I appreciate it." She said feeling a bit better.

"No problem, Fanta." DP said as he blushes lightly.

"We should probably try and find the temple." Fanta suggested.

DP gave a thumbs up. "Right! Let's a go!" He said as he started walking.

Fanta smiled as she waggled her tail and she followed him.

They traveled through the deep forest going through the endless trees, and the occasional bush. They got quite deep into the forest before DP opened his mouth.

"So, where are you from?" DP asked as they walked.

"I'm from Mistral." Fanta replied.

"Where in Mistral? The upper or lower half?"" DP asked.

"Lower half. But the nicer part of the lower half." Fanta answered as she swayed her tail.

"Oh? Funny, I heard people usually sell stolen goods in the lower parts of mistral." DP said as he moved branch out of the way.

Fanta stopped dead in her tracks. "Excuse me? Are you accusing me of something?" She asked, angrily and gripped her fist.

"Well, you haven't said what you did with the dust you stole yesterday. Plus, you got all defensive about it when I asked about it." DP replied as he turned around. "Care to explain?" He asked.

Fanta growled and curled her hand into a fist. "I'm not some criminal! You think all Faunus are criminals?! You confirm racist!" She asked, angrily.

"What?! No! That's not what I said!" DP Yelled back.

"You implied it Atlesian dust!" Fanta said as she threw her hands down and got up in his face.

"Wow there! I didn't mean it like that!" DP said, apologetically as he put his put his hands in the air and he had backed up. "You need to calm down or we are gonna attract Grimm!" He said.

"Calm down? Well, I'm sorry I wasn't exactly planning on teaming up with an Atlesian for the next four years!' Fanta said with a sassy tone.

"Ugh! Look I said I was sorry. Can we move on and just go get the relic?" DP asked just before he heard some bushes move. "What was that?!" He asked as he looked around.

"Excuse me? Don't change the subject! We aren't done here!" Fanta said as she extended her gauntlets.

"Shh! Listen! I think Grimm found us from your outbursts." DP whispered as he kept looking, while his suit covered his body.

"I think you meant from you." Fanta mumbled as she readied herself following DP's lead.

DP sighed and rolled his eyes as he looked for the Grimm. He motioned to some bushes around a few trees. "I think it's this way." DP whispered.

"Alright, lead the way Atlesian." Fanta replied, sounding angry.

'Ugh' DP thought being annoyed, and he, slowly, led over to the bush.

Both DP and Fanta slowly look through the bush by moving the leaves and then seeing…Ursa playing cards?

'You got anyone nevermores?' One ursa "said" while holding cards.

"Go-Grimm." The another usra "said".

"Uh… are they... are they playing Go-Fish?" Fanta asked, being confused.

"…Uh I think they are…da dust?" DP said also puzzled by the sight of Grimm playing cards.

"What do we do?" Fanta asked.

"Well, we can go around since we don't need to kill Grimm. We can just go get the relic from the temple." DP answered. "bada boom bada bean. We are home free." He said before he took a sip of Dr. Pepper.

"That's great and all, but isn't Grimm attracted to sweet things?" Fanta asked.

"Yeah, why?" DP asked.

"Isn't soda sweet?" Fanta asked as she pointed to the Dr. Pepper.

The ursa started to sniff. 'You smell that bro?'

'Yeah bro where is that coming from?' ursa asked as it looked.

"Ah crap" DP said as he sighed.

The ursa spotted them and then roared at them. They started running at them.

"Oh, break my aura! They are coming at us!" DP yelled as gets into a fighting stance and put away the Dr. Pepper.

"I hope you are better at fighting than making jokes!" Fanta said as she took a fighting stance herself as well.

"ugh…" DP said then he had an idea. "Wait a second…. I got an idea!" He said as he pulled out the Dr. Pepper from before. "Hey! Go fetch!" He said as he threw the bottle away.

The ursa stopped and watched the soda bottle fly away into some bushes. They then decided to go after the soda instead.

"Run!" DP said, before he booked it as his suit retracted from his body and onto his back.

"Oh dust!" Fanta said as she followed him and reacted her gauntlets. "You're smarter than you look." She admitted as they ran.

DP smirked and gave a thumbs up. "It's SODA what I do!" He said before laughing.

Fanta gave a disgusted look. "It wasn't that sweet…" She said, unassumingly.

After running a good distance into the forest, they stopped to catch their breath.

"I think…. we lost the ursa…" DP said as he panted heavily. He had both of his hands on his knees and bent over a little bit.

"…Good… Now we can keep looking for the temple…. That was good call on throwing the soda…" Fanta said as she panted with her tongue out leaning against a tree.

"...Thanks… I'm glad I always have a Dr. Pepper on hand…" DP said. "So, shall we continue?" he asked as he stood straight up.

Fanta nodded as she got off a tree.

"Alright let's go." DP said as he led the way

Fanta followed DP, but she stopped in her tracks after a few seconds. "Wait, what's that smell?" She asked as she started to sniff the air.

"Huh? What smell?" DP asked being confused.

Fanta kept sniffing the air and she followed the smell. She walked past DP and into a shadier part of the forest.

"What are you doing?" DP asked.

"I think something is burning." Fanta replied as she continued, and she looked around a tree. "Huh? What's that bright light?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes towards the light.

"Something burning? I don't think someone is dumb enough to use fire dust in the middle of a forest." DP stated.

Fanta stared at the bright light for a minute. 'What is that?' She thought. Fanta's eyes widen as she realized what it was, and she saw the light coming closing to their location. "Uhm, Pepper… We need to go..." She said with an urgency in her voice as she backed away.

"Huh? Why is that?" DP asked, curiously. He walked to where Fanta was and then saw a roaring fire burning the trees. "OH DUST! RUN!"


	4. Chapter 3 Blaze of Glory

Run On Caffeine

Chapter 3: A Blaze of Glory

Earlier, at the start of the initiation, after students were launched.

Sprite was flying over the forest. She had pulled out her sword and started to use it like a hoverboard once more. "Let's see if I can't just land near the temple and possibly get a partner in the process. I hate to waste my time with something as foolish as wondering in the forest for ages." She said to herself as she rode the wind. She was having a little trouble controlling and balancing herself, but she remained steady. "Now then, let's see where this temple is." She said to herself as she looked around. "Huh? Who's that?" She asked herself as she investigated.

Aquafina had just landed in the forest; with him he had a staff with knives sticking out from the top. It also had a crystal in the center where the knives were sticking out.

"HEY! Up here!" Sprite yelled trying to get Aquafina's attention. She rode the wind down towards him and then she jumped off her sword when she was close enough to the ground.

"Huh?" Aquafina said as he turned around and looked up. "Oh, hey Sprite!" He said waving.

"Hello Aqua!" Sprite said as she landed in front of him. She then stood up and caught her sword then she spun it around and then put it on her back. "I see you made it safely." She said.

"Course. I see you are showing off." Aquafina said chuckling a little.

"Spinning my sword isn't showing off." Sprite said unamusingly.

"I was referring to riding it like a skateboard." Aquafina said before he turned around and started to walk deeper into the forest.

Sprite rolled her eyes. "Not exactly hard to do." She said as she followed him. "Looks like we are going to be partners for the next four years." She stated sounding authoritative.

"Geez, what are you? Ironwood?" Aquafina asked as he was walking deeper into the forest.

"Sorry, growing up in atlas makes you act…. certain way." Sprite said feeling uneased.

"Oh right… I guess some of things people say about Atlas were true." Aquafina said as he adjusted his jacket. "Speaking of the Tinman, I heard rumors that he put together a special five-man team recently. What's that about?"

Sprite sighed. "I don't know. The general doesn't like to share information with the rest of the kingdom unless he feels like it or ordered to." She answered. "Why do you care anyway? You don't live in Atlas." She said as walked past Aquafina.

"Well, I do run a dust show with my dad. We get most of our dust from Atlas. I just happen to overhear some of the workers dropping up our monthly supply say something about it." Aquafina explained as he kept walking. "Plus, there has been more security as of late. I was just curious to see if you knew anything about."

"Unfortunately, I do not know. Also, I am not exactly buddy buddy with the general." Sprite stated as she was navigated round the trees.

Aquafina sighed. "Fair enough. I guess I had high hopes." He said as he went round the trees as well.

As they walked through the dense, dangerous, forest they heard other students were landing nearby or faraway. Sprite and Aquafina were getting closer to the temple with the relics, but the trees and bushes made it hard to navigate. However, they did spot something some wreckage.

"Wait, what happened here?" Sprite asked as she walked up to the wreckage.

"Looks like someone had a battle here." Aquafina said as he followed her.

Sprite bent down and picked up a bottle. "It looks like someone was in the middle of drinking a soda and had to throw it away." She said as she examines the bottle.

"Why would someone be drinking soda in the middle of initiation? Seems like a bad idea not only because of the Grimm. On top of all that, It makes ya dehydrated." Aquafina said as he looked around. He saw some of the trees were missing some branches. He also noticed there was some yellow hair here as well. "I had to guess it was a couple large Grimm that was here to greet them." He said.

Sprite gasped. "Wait a second, this a bottle of Dr. Pepper! I only know one person who and would drink it in the forest." She said as she tossed the bottle aside.

"Your friend huh? You think he used it to distract the Grimm?" Aquafina asked.

"He must have." Sprite said as she noticed the yellow hair on the ground as well. "Hmm, I think he found a partner as well by the looks of it." She added before looking around. "The temple might be nearby as well."

"Considering Grimm were nearby, it's worth a shot." Aquafina said.

Sprite nodded as her and Aquafina started moving again.

After a minute of walking, they heard someone slashing the air followed by it a roaring fire. Then a group of beowolves howling could be heard.

"What the dust?!" Sprite yelled as she then saw beowolves fleeting. She pulled out her sword in a fighting stance. "A pack of beowolves all around us!"

"Hold on! I think they are running away from something." Aquafina said as he grabbed Sprite's shoulder.

Sprite turned her head. "What could they be possibly running from?" She asked. She was very baffled. 'Grimm running? They don't usually do that unless blocked by something or there is no negative emotions.' As she was in thought, it was getting a bit hotter than usual. "Oh, geez was it supposed to be THIS hot today?"

"Huh… Sprite… I think the forest is on fire." Aquafina, concerningly, said as he was raising his hand to point in front of them. He was shaking all over.

"What do you mean you think the forest on fire?" Sprite asked as she looked in the direction of where he was pointing. She saw a roaring fire burning. She saw the fire quickly going out of control. Sprite was in shock. "Oh, DUST! Who set the forest on fire?!" She asked as she put her sword away. "We need to leave NOW!" she commanded as she ran from the fire. "This way!"

"What about the fire?! It's gonna spread!" Aquafina said as he quickly reached Sprite and went past her.

"It's out of our control! We don't have time!" Sprite answered as she trailed behind him. "Also, who's idea was it to set the forest on fire?! Are people that impatience and lazy to find this stupid temple?!"

"You think they took Ozpin's advice a little too literally?" Aquafina asked, while he turned his head back to her and then front of him again.

"Ugh! I would hope not!" Sprite replied as she turned her head around to see the fire was still burning from far away. "It looks like the fire didn't spread out here!" She yelled as she slowly stopped running. She put her hand on a tree, while she was bent over a little.

"Thank the gods!" Aquafina said relieved as he slowed down as well to catch his breath. He leaned back into a tree with his hands on his head.

While Sprite and Aquafina were resting, Ozpin and Glynda were on the cliff watching, on their scrolls, the students in the forest.

"It seems the students have landed and finally got a partner. Although I am a little concerned about the fire that Miss Schnee seems to have started." Glynda said as was going through the live feed.

"Well, I did say do not hesitate to destroy everything in their path." Ozpin said before he took a sipped of his drink.

Glynda sighed. "I did see two students who avoided the fire, but there are a few students uncounted for. I hope they didn't get caught in the fire." She said worried.

"If you are that worried, you can call the fire huntsmen. We are going have to deal with it regardless." Ozpin stated. "In any case, who are the students not counted for?" He asked.

"Seiun Ojotai, Orange Fanta, and….Dr….Pepper…" Glynda said in disgusted.

Ozpin sighed. "Come now Glynda. Surely can give him a little credit. He did take responsible for his actions." He said.

"After you promised him you would help him out! AND that was before you talked about his mother. By the way, why did he just stop talking when you mentioned his mother?!" Glynda asked getting very angry, while she looked at him.

"Glynda, please. Now isn't the time." Ozpin replied calmly.

"When will be the time Ozpin?! I don't want him blowing up or depressed!" Glynda said raising her voice.

"Glynda! We need to stay focus at the task at hand. We will discuss it later." Ozpin said turning to her.

Glynda sighed and looked back at her scroll. "Fine." She said as went back to moderating the students.

"Also, if you can, please get in contact with fire hunters. We do need to take care of the fire." Ozpin said as he watched over the students.

"Alright." Glynda said as she got in contact with the fire hunters.

_Back In the forest_

"Oh dust!" Dr. Pepper yelled as he tried to escape the fiery danger behind him and Fanta.

"Where are the fire hunters?! I thought they would be on stay by in case of forest fires!" Fanta asked as she busted through a tree.

"I heard the safety standards at beacon weren't quite as up to date as the rest of the schools!" DP answered while running.

"For a school being held in such high regard, they sure don't follow simple safety precautions!" Fanta yelled. She then yelped and tripped over a tree root.

DP stopped and turned around. "Fanta!" He yelled as he went back to her.

"Go without me! I'll be fine!" Fanta said as she lay there and motioning him to keep going.

"I leave no man, woman, or Faunus behind!" DP said as he grabbed her arm. "We are partners now! We watch each other's backs. Come on!" He said as he pulled her up.

Fanta nodded and smiling a little as they went back to running. The fire had caught up with them. It was almost instant how fast the fire caught up. It had surrounded them quickly and trapping them. It was hard to see a way out without the fire messing with their eyes. Let alone trying not to get burned in the process.

"Dang nabbit!" DP said as he covered his face up with his face from the fire. "Where do we go now!? I can't see an opening!"

Fanta looked around, but a branch nearly hit her. She jumped a little. "I can't see one either! Do you have any water dust to put out the fire? Surely an Atlesian like yourself has something!" She said as the fire continued to burn more.

"Course I do! But I ain't sure if will be enough. Water dust crystals do not exactly hold a lot of water. It's like trying to put out a big fire with water bottles." DP explained.

"Can't you make a water bomb or something to put it out?! Dust, you have a power suit! Can't you fly us out of here?!" Fanta said before she started to cough. She then covered her mouth with her hands.

"I don't have enough water dust to make a bomb and my suit would be way too hot for me to carry you." DP said as he starting coughing as well also covering his mouth. "We can't- *cough* stay here! We need to move!" He said before he rushed through the fire.

Fanta followed him, but having a hard time keeping due the fire. She was coughing every now and again. "Do you see an exit?!" She asked.

When she asked her question, some trees fell in front of them blocking them off.

DP and Fanta had to stop abruptly. "Crap!" DP said as he then tried to charge up a laser but heated up too quickly. "Ow ow ow." He shook his hands off.

"Here, let me do it." Fanta said as she blasted the trees into pieces with her weapon. "Let's go Atlesian!"

DP gave a thumbs up then they both heard someone screaming.

"Help! We are Stuck! Someone help us!" The person screamed out continuously.

Fanta was trying to locate the student. "There!" She said as she pointed.

DP looked in the same direction and saw the student was stuck under some trees. He and Fanta rushed over to him, while avoiding some branches falling on the way.

The student had spotted DP and Fanta. "Hey, over here!" He said motioning to come here and relieved.

"Hey, what happened?" DP asked as he knelt in front of him and lifted the tree up. He saw the feminine looking student.

"My partner and I were walking in the forest until the fire engulfed the area around us. We tried to find a way out, but some trees were about to fall on us. I manage to get out of the way, however my partner's lower snake body got stuck. So, I broke him free with my weapon. He then betrayed me by hitting me with his tail. I hit the tree and then it collapsed on me." He explained with tears rolling down his face.

"And he just left you here?!" Fanta, angrily, asked as she pulled him out from under the trees.

He nodded slowly as he sniffed as Fanta helped him up. "But this lady with pink hair found me and tried to help me. But she got stuck as well. She's over there." He added as he pointed to another plie of branches.

DP gripped his fists in disgust. "I'll get your friend out." He said as he bolted to the branches through the flames.

"Thank you!" He said as he grabbed his weapon of a questionable shape from under the branches.

"What are you doing?!" Fanta asked. "We need to go!" She stated.

"I told you before I leave no one behind!" DP said as he quickly pulled the branches off.

"You are going to get yourself killed!" Fanta said as the fire grew bigger blocking the way in between them.

"Oh gods! He's trapped!" The student said as he transformed his weapon into a shotgun. He then shot at the fire to put it out. But it was too weak.

"Dust it all! That Atlesian!" Fanta said as she saw a way out. "There's an exit!" She said as she ran towards it, while she grabbed him.

"Wow! Hey! What about your partner and That lady!?" He asked as he put away his weapon, while he was being pulled.

"Forget about them! They will find a way out!" Fanta yelled as she kept dragging him. They eventually made it out of the fiery forest into an open field. As they got far away enough, they both fell. They were breathing heavily.

"Fresh air!" The student said as he revealed to have a cat tail. He shook his tail and stretched out.

"Wait... you are a Faunus to?" Fanta asked as she sat up, while looking at him curiously.

"Yeah I am! I am Saiun, by the way. What's your name?" He asked as he looked down to see his dress. "Oh my gods! My outfit is ruined! It wasn't because of a date…" He said under his breath.

Fanta giggled. "I am Fanta! Nice to meet you." She said as she then looked at the forest burning up.

Saiun looked at the forest as well. "You think they are gonna make it?" He asked Fanta.

"I may not be fond of the Atlesian, but I hope they do. For your friend's sake." Fanta answered.

"Hey! Are you two alright?!"

"Huh?" Fanta said as both her and Saiun both looked behind themselves to see Sprite and Aquafina running up to them. "We are fine! Our auras protected us from any serious damage." Fanta answered.

"Thank gods! Did you two see anyone else in the fire?" Sprite asked sounding concerned.

"Well, her partner is trying to get my friend out of the fire. She got trapped under some branches trying to save me." Seiun explained.

"Oh goodness. I hope they get out soon. Not sure how much longer they can survive in the fire. If was it caused by fire dust, they might have a harder time getting out." Aquafina said.

"Oh? Is it possible that having our aura protecting us causes the fire burn more and last longer?" Seiun asked.

Aquafina nodded. "It is possible."

They were looking at the fire hopping to see or hear them come out. But to no avail. The forest kept burning seemingly showing no signs of dying down.

"I hope the fire hunters were called. I hate to see this forest go up in a blaze." Sprite said as she stared at the fire. "By the way, who is your partner?" She asked.

"Uhm, Doctor..something? Paper? Doctor soda?" Fanta said as she was trying think of his name.

Sprite eyes widen. "Was it Dr. Pepper?" She asked.

"Yeah, that was it! That Atlesian sure is stubborn fool." Fanta said.

"That_ Atlesian_ is my friend! And our job is to help people in need, mutt!" Sprite shouted.

"Excuse me?! What did you just call me?!" Fanta asked as she stood up getting Sprite's face.

"Oh boy here we go." Aquafina said as he stepped back and watched.

"Hey! There is no need to fight! It's only going to attract Grimm!" Seiun said as he stood up as well getting in between them.

"Get out of my way Seiun! Are you just gonna let this _Atlesian_ talk to our kind this way?!" Fanta asked growling.

"Look! That doesn't matter right now! our PARTNERS are in the fire and us yelling about this is going bring Grimm here!" Seiun said putting his foot down.

"And I just sit here and take this _crystal's_ abuse?!" Fanta asked gripping her fist and pointing at Sprite.

"Not the point! It's not going to get us anywhere! You need to calm down!" Seiun said as he gently pushed Fanta's arm down to her side.

Fanta growled and then huffed. She then crossed her arms and put her back towards Seiun. "Whatever…" She said unamused.

"Also watch your mouth, dog. Or" Sprite pulled her sword out and pointed at Fanta. "I will remove that tongue of yours." She threatened.

"Oh my gods! Can you not for like 5 seconds!?" Seiun asked sounding frustrated.

"Oh, just let her be. She is just proving my point." Fanta said.

"Ladies, ladies, no reason to get at each other's throats." Aquafina said finally stepping in.

"I am a man!" Seiun as he put his hands on his hips with an angry expression.

"I was referring to the other two…" Aquafina explained.

"IT'S SO HOT!" A voice yelled from the forest.

"Huh? What was that?" Seiun asked as he and the others looked at the forest.

They saw DP burst out of the forest at blinding speed. He was wearing his suit also while holding someone, who was unconscious. DP didn't look too terribly well. He looked burned all over covered un ashes.

"It's that Atlesian!" Fanta said.

"And he has that lady who tried to save me!" Seiun said

DP was coughing a lot as he is flying. He slowed down quite a bit as he approached Fanta and them. His suit overheated and reacted itself into a backpack. That caused DP to drop the pink hair girl. They both tumbled forward and to stop near the rest of the gang.

"Pepper! Are you okay?!" Sprite asked before she put her sword away and then she ran over to him. She knelt down and sat him up.

DP coughed a bunch as he sat up. "Yeah, I am fine. How is she doing?" He asked being concerned.

"She seems fine. Just unconscious. Although that is a little concerning." Seiun said as he checked the girl for any injuries.

"Here I'll help you." Fanta said joining Seiun.

"What happened in here?" Aquafina asked as he walked over to Sprite and DP.

"After I had freed her, I couldn't find a way out. I had to bust through the trees using my suit. I luckily had enough water dust to keep my suit cool." DP explained.

Sprite put her hand on DP's back. "Well, I'm glad you are safe. Just try not to scare me like that. You could have been seriously hurt." She said.

DP chuckled. "Relax Sprite. LIGHTEN up a little." He said before laughed.

Sprite sighed and facepalmed. "Gods dust it Pepper…." She said being disappointed.

"Hey, wait a second, I thought you couldn't use your suit because it was too hot?!" Fanta asked.

"Uh…Water dust..Exists." DP said nervously.

Fanta growls.

But just then, they heard a loud roaring engine coming from direction the burning forest. They all looked over at the forest to see a large Red, with white stripes ship flying overhead. The ship seemed to have a giant hose underneath the ship. The hose started to extent out and started straying water putting out the fire.

"Hey, isn't that the fire huntsmen?" Aquafina asked.

"I believe it is." Sprite said, while she stood up.

"Thank gods." Seiun said feeling relived.

"Well, would you look at that. Beacon does have some safety precautions." DP said as he slowly stood up.

"That's great and all, but we still have an unconscious girl to deal with." Fanta said.

"Right, of course. Does she have any injuries?" Sprite asked.

"Doesn't look like it." Seiun answered as he stared at her. He saw that the pink hair lady's body didn't look too fit, but she did look like she has done some lifting. "Although she really doesn't look like she belongs here." He said.

"What does that even mean? A lot of us aren't from around here." DP said.

"I think he means that she doesn't look like someone from remnant." Fanta said.

"Like from somewhere else outside of remnant?" Aquafina asked.

"Yeah exactly." Seiun answered.

"Well, let's not worry about it right now. Let's go get our relics and go." Sprite said.

"But I don't have a partner!" Seiun said.

"I mean she was trying to save you. I'm sure she will be more than happy to be your partner. Now, help me pick her up." Fanta said while she got up.

Seiun nodded as he helped Fanta picked the girl up. He struggled picking her up, while Fanta did most of the work.

Fanta giggled as she carried the girl. "I got it Seiun." She said as she carried her.

Seiun sighed. "Thanks Fanta." He said relieved and followed her.

They all headed towards the ruin temple that held the relics. The place was a mess. There were pillars broken everywhere. The floor was cracked in several places, but it held together holding up the many chest pieces in the middle in a circle.

"I'm surprised this place is still standing." Aquafina said as he looked around.

"At least it didn't get caught in the fire." DP said.

"Let's focus at the task at hand." Sprite said as she walked towards the relics.

Fanta put the girl down at the foot of the steps. "Hey Atlseian, could you watch her while I get our relic?" She asked pointing at DP.

DP rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah." He said unamused as he walked over to the Fanta and the girl.

"I'll help you out. Sprite can get our relic." Aquafina said as he walked over there with DP.

"Already doing it." Sprite answered.

"Hey Fanta, could I go with you to get mine as well?" Seiun asked.

"Sure thing." Fanta replied as they both walked over to the relics.

DP saw them walking to the relics. He then glanced down at the girl then looked around. He then sat down next to her and pulled out a Dr. Pepper to drink.

Aquafina stood on the grass in front of DP and the girl looking around. "So, you are Dr. Pepper?" He asked.

"That's my name and soda is my game." DP said before taking another drink.

"I'm Aquafina, nice to meet you." Aquafina said. "Your friend is quite something."

"She has to deal with a lot. She also deals with me every day. Or at least she used to anyway. It's very complicated." DP said as he held his Dr. Pepper by the top.

"I had a feeling. You think this girl is gonna wake up soon?" Aquafina asked.

"Who knows. I not even sure how long she was even in that fire for. We are lucky we found her in time." DP answered. "I'm just concerned if her aura protected her."

"I'm assuming it is because she was unconscious?" Aquafina asked turned around.

DP nodded. "But we shall see." He said.

"Right…huh? I think I saw her eyes twitch." Aquafina said as he pointed at her.

"Huh?" DP said as he looked down at her seeing her eyes twitch. "Hey guys! I think she is waking up!" He shouted at the others.

"Huh? Really?! Let's go guys!" Seiun said as him, Fanta and Sprite rushed to over.

They got all around the girl as they all waited for to wake up.


	5. Chapter 4 Step One

Run On Caffeine

Chapter 4: Step one

The pink hair lady slowly opened her eyes, in her vision, she saw multiple people of different varieties. She held her head as she sat up. She looked around as she was met with confusion and curiosity. She was surprised to see so many faces. The silence lasted for about a minute before she finally spoke. "Uhm. Hello." She said. Her voice was quite robotic, yet exotic.

"Hi…there? Uhm are you okay Miss?" DP asked being rather weirded out. DP is usually the werido in most cases. This was a little different.

"Mhm. I am fine." She answered as she then slowly got up. "But uhm have you by chance seen a cat Faunus in a dress?" She asked while being bent over and finger on her chin.

"Uh… r-right here." Seiun, begrudgingly, answered as he waved, slowly, to get her attention.

She turned to Seiun and sighed in relief. "Thank the gods. I'm glad you are safe." She said being thankful as she stood straight, with a hand on her chest.

"That's great in all…but uh I am rather…confused. How did you know Sh- I-I mean... he was in there in the first place? Were you caught in the fire as well?" Sprite asked as she walked closer.

"I heard the roaring fire and then heard someone screaming. I decided to go find the source thinking someone might need help. That is when I found him trapped under broken trees. Unfortunately, I fell victim to the trees collapsing on me." She explained, sounding a little upset as she tilted her head down.

"Right…So, what is your name?" Sprite asked while having her hands behind her back.

"My name is Megurine Luka. Most people just call me Luka." She answered. "Nice to meet you." She said cheerfully.

"My name is Sprite. Nice to meet you Luka." She said as she bowed.

"Nice to meet ya Luka, Dr. Pepper is the name and Caffeine is my game!" He said as he spun in a circle then posed with a thumbs up.

"I'm Orange Fanta." She said bluntly and hands on her hips and unamused.

"I'm Aquafina." He said as he put two of his fingers together then saluted.

"And I am Seiun!" He said, happily as he pointed at himself.

Luka giggled and smiled. "Nice to meet all of you! But I do think it is time to head back with the Relics." She said before walking towards the relics.

"Right, right and we will get to that, but I do have to ask. Where are you from Luka?" DP asked feeling curious.

Luka, caught off guard, stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around to face DP looking nervous. "V-Vale." She answered.

DP raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem too confident in that answer." He said. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, nothing! I was surprised! That's all." Luka said, calming down. She was sweating a little all, while poking her two fingers together.

"Alrighty then… I think that is enough questions for now. We need get a move on." Sprite interjected.

"Yeah, we need get back to the relics. We were getting one, before Luka woke up after all." Seiun said.

DP rolled his eyes. "If you say so." He said as he took a sip of his Dr. Pepper.

Luka sighed in relief. "Thank you." She said.

"No, need to thank me. Anyway, onto the relics." Sprite said as they went to pick their relics.

"Uh, are these the relics? They look like chest pieces." Aquafina said as he looked around.

"I think they are chest pieces. There's a Knight, pawn queen…Wait a second." Fanta said as she picked up one of the pieces. "Why does this look like a soda bottle?" She asked as she examined it.

"You think Oz ran out of chest pieces?" DP asked as he stood by Fanta.

"Hey, there's another one like it." Aquafina said as he picked it up.

"What an odd thing to throw in. Soda bottles? You think someone got there before us?" Seiun asked.

"And replace those relics with soda bottles? I don't think." Sprite said.

Luka had picked up a relic during their conversation. She realized she needed a partner before returning. She then counted the amount the people seeing there was only five people with them. "Uhm, do one of you not have a partner? I see there is only 5 of you." She said.

"Oh, right. I do not have a partner anymore. My 'partner' upped and left me to die. I was hoping you be your partner, Luka." Seiun said.

Luka nodded. "Of course! I will be happy to assist you." She said as she walked over to him while smiling.

"Thanks Luka." Seiun said.

"You're welcome." Luke replied.

Just then as they were putting away the relics, screams could be heard from the forest.

"Oh, what now?!" DP yelled as they all looked towards the forest.

They saw two students quickly running out of the forest.

"Oh my gods! Is that Nas and Henry?!" Seuin said in shock.

"Friends of yours?" Sprite asked.

Seiun nodded. "Sort of, we ate breakfast together this morning." He explained.

"At least we have more fighters for incoming trouble." DP said.

Nas and Henry quickly ran towards the temple.

"Nas, Henry, are you guys okay?!" Seiun asked as he quickly ran to greet them.

"Barely! Henry, over here, decided to mess with a Death Stalker in its cave!" Nas explained while he, angrily, used hand gestures.

"Look man, I thought the cave was the entrance to the temple." Henry retorted.

"Henry, I told you before you went into the cave that it looked like a death stalkers den. I said, hey, we should be careful and proceed with caution." Nas replied.

"I said it was fine and there wasn't nothing in there." Henry said.

"Expect for the dusting death stalker!" Nas yelled as he stomped his foot on the ground.

"Hey, yall need to calm down. You are going attach Grimm! What matters now is you two are safe." Seiun said as he patted both of their backs.

"That's great and all, but did you two lose the Deathstalker?" Sprite asked as she walked up.

"I believe so. I think it is still chasing the fire huntsmen ship." Nas answered.

"At least, we don't have deal with that Death Stalker for the time being. If at all." Sprite said.

"Those poor huntsmen though... I hope they are okay." Seiun said.

"I'm sure they can take themselves. They are trained." Sprite said.

"They should be fine. Henry, go get our relic." Nas said.

"Right on it." Henry said as he walked to the platform filled with relics.

"After they get their relic, let's make way for the cliff." DP said.

"Alright! got it!" Henry said as he grabbed one and then walked back to everyone.

"Alright, everyone. Let's move out together." Sprite commanded as she pointed at the forest.

"Yes mam!" DP said as he saluted, and they walked to the forest.

DP and co moved across the grassy, open fields. They move towards to the now, mostly burned down, forest. Sprite was in the front of the group, while everyone else was bunched up together, in the middle. They were looking at the forest seeing the smoke somewhat still visible.

"Man, that poor forest. You think it is still negotiable?" DP asked as he walked behind and to the side of Sprite as he put his hands behind his head.

"It should be. I am, however, worried about that myself. We'll have to quickly move through the destroyed trees to not breathe in smoke." Sprite explained as she had her hands behind her back on her sword.

"Also, did you hear Luka's voice? You think there's something wrong with it? Sounds all robotic." DP asked as he used his thumb to point at Luka as they walked.

"I'm not sure. Although that's not what I most concern about, I am still wondering what Luka is." Sprite said.

"What do you mean? She seems to be a huntress in training like the rest of us." DP said.

"Well, I mean more of is Luka even human? She doesn't seem to be a Faunus nor to have animal trait to speak of. I might be overthinking this whole thing and just be nothing." Sprite said.

"What are yall talking about?" Aquafina asked as he walked up to them and kept walking.

"We are talking about Luka." DP answered, before he took a Dr. Pepper out and took a sip.

"Still on about that Luka thing? She seems friendly. Dust, she tried to help a faunus. I think she's on our side." Aquafina said.

"It wasn't the matter of Luka being on our side. It was more of what is she exactly." Sprite explained.

"You think this is the best time to discuss this? Pretty sure getting back to the cliff is WAY more important now." Aquafina said as he put his hands in his jacket's pockets.

"Yeah we need to LUKA for a route!" DP said as he chuckled.

"Ugh…" Sprite mumbled as she facepalmed.

Aquafina laughed a little as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and covered his mouth.

Meanwhile, with Luka and others.

"So, Luka where did you learn to fight?" Seiun asked as he walked beside her.

"In a smaller academy through various teachers." Luka answered.

"Oh nice! I was a part of a group back where I am from to learn. Probably not like one of those smaller academies." Seiun said.

"I learned at Haven for a while. Of course, I transferred here to learn even more." Fanta said.

"Oh really? I thought that was the one of the bigger academies. Do they have something for younger students?" Seiun asked.

Fanta nodded. "Yeah, they do. It was fine for what I needed, but Beacon had more of I wanted to do." She said.

"Haven huh? That is in Mistral of I remember correctly. That must have costed a lot to travel here and attend the school." Luka said.

"It did cost quite a bit, but I did manage to earn enough money working a few jobs. With the help of my parents of course." Fanta explained.

"I was pretty lucky. I did live on an island; thankfully, the boat ride was cheap. It was the matter of the school payments plus other means of travel." Seiun said.

"That's good Seiun." Fanta said.

Luka smiled as they walked. She then noticed Nas was thinking about something while Henry was just walking next to him. "You thinking about something there Nas?" She asked.

"Well, I was thinking about what other Grimm could be in the area. The fire drove away most of the common Grimm, but the forest was left to burn. I was wondering if there was something else me and Henry saw we might need to be worry about." He said as he was holding his chin in thought.

"Oh! Speaking of the fire, did yall get caught up in that?" Seiun asked.

"No, we landed somewhere far away from the fire." Nas replied.

"Thank gods. But uh didn't you two come out where the fire was?" Fanta asked.

"The Deathstalker chased to where the remains of the fire were. Thankfully, that fireship did help us somewhat to escape the Deathstalker for us to get away." Nas said.

"Wasn't shooting at something else before it was helping us?" Henry asked.

"Oh yeah! It was shooting at something else! that's right! We pasted by a few black feathers as we were running away." Nas said as he hit his hand into his palm.

"Black Feathers?" Seiun asked.

"They usually come from Grimm called Nevermore Chicks." Luka explained to Seiun.

"You think there is a Nevermore Chick nearby?" Fanta asked.

"It is possible, but it could have been distracted by the fireship and chased that." Nas said.

"We should warn Sprite and the other two. We can't be traveling carelessly if that's the case." Seiun said as he was getting worried and was about to run to Sprite.

"Hold your nuckelavees, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't need to get tense about it. Negative emotions do attach Grimm. Us overly worrying about it might cause the Nevermore to come here." Luka said as she put her hand on Seiun's shoulder.

"Luka is right. You need to calm down and we go warn Sprite." Nas said.

Seiun sighed. "Right right... Sorry, I'm not particularly used to having to worry about Grimm so much." He said. "The island I grew up on didn't have any Grimm."

"It's alright, it is only natural you be so tense since this is our first day. Also, this being your first time having to worry about Grimm. Anyway, I'll go warn Sprite." Nas said as he was about to go to Sprite.

"No, Nas I'll do it." Seiun said as he held his hand out.

"You sure? You were all tense about it just a second ago." Nas said.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You guys just keep a look out for the Nevermore." Seiun said as he walked over to Sprite.

They nodded as they looked around as they walk.

"Sprite, I need to tell you something." Seiun said as he walked up to her.

Sprite turned her head to see Seiun. "What is it Seiun?" She asked.

"There's possibly a Nevermore Chick In the area. Henry and Nas said they saw some black feathers while they were dealing with the Deathstalker. They were luckily saved by the fire huntsmen with their ship." Seiun explained as he walked beside Sprite.

"Nevermore Chick? Oh lovely. Flying Grimm is a pain to deal with." DP said before taking another sip of his Dr. Pepper.

"Hm, I see. So, the fire huntsmen were dealing with the Nevermore chick until they ran into Henry and Nas." Sprite said as she thought about it.

"We should keep on guard up for the Nevermore." Seiun suggested.

"We also should consider the fact that the fire huntsmen might have killed it." Aquafina commented.

"Very true, although I do think getting move on isn't a bad idea." Sprite said.

"The sooner we get back to the cliff the sooner we can rest." DP said. "Works for me." He added.

"Alright, then it is settled. We need to get a move along." Seiun said.

"I suppose so." Sprite said.

"I'll tell the others and then hurry to the cliff." Seiun said as he walked back to the others.

"You actually think this is a good idea?" Aquafina asked.

"Better than admiring the dead forest isn't ideal either. Plus, I did say we need to speed through the forest to not breathe in the smoke." Sprite said, before she ran off without them into the forest.

"Uh…She has a point." DP said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It was only part of the forest that was burnt to be fair." Aquafina said.

"Very true, but I rather get back to the cliff as soon as possible. Let's blast through like a boarbatusk!" DP said, excitedly, before he curled up into a ball than span dashed into the forest.

Aquafina sighed. "Course…How does he even do that anyway? Whatever, better start running." He said as he rolled his eyes before he ran into the forest to.

Sprite, DP, Aquafina, and company quickly made their way into the forest. They made their way through the ashes and burnt trees and broken limbs. The others would follow suit.

"So, this is where the fire happened?" Nas asked as he saw the aftermath of the forest fire as they made their way.

"Yeah, this is where it happened." Seiun answered as he looked down remembering the experience.

"Hmm, Hey Nas. What direction did the Nevermore come from?" Luka asked as she ran beside him.

"I believe it was south." Nas answered.

"That makes sense the fire was here, and the fire huntmens was dowsing it out. You think that Nevermore was caught in the fire as well?" Luka asked.

"Not sure, but it could be possible." Nas replied.

As they were running towards the other side of the brunt forest, they heard a loud roar of a bird. They all stopped dead in their tracks as they look around for the source.

"What the dust was that?!" Sprite asked as she pulled out her sword, while she looks around.

"It sounded like a bird. You think it's the Nevermore?" DP asked as his suit covers his body.

"Do we really want to stick around and found out?" Seiun asked as he grabbed his weapon out and looked around.

"I thought we said we were heading towards the cliff?! I'm not prepared to go bird hunting!" Fanta said as she tried to sniff the air.

"Guys! I think I found the Nevermore!" Aquafina said as he pointed towards it.

They all looked where Aquafina was pointed to see a Nevermore flying towards the relic temple. It looked to have a couple people riding it.

"Uh? Are people hitching a ride to that Nevermore?" DP asked as he was baffled as he titled his head.

"It looks like it, but that isn't our problem. We need to keep moving. We got what we came for." Sprite said as she put her sword on her back.

"Right! Let's get back to it!" Seiun said as he put away his weapon and then took off.

"Of course, the cat would make a run for it! Anyway, they can take themselves, let's book it!" DP said as his suit transform back into backpack and booked it.

"Uh, Seiun seems really keen on running away." Aquafina said being concerned.

"I mean we don't really need to fight Grimm. We just need to collect the relic and go." Luka said.

"Yeah that is true, but something seems off." Fanta said.

"We should discuss this later. We need to move." Nas said.

"Yeah, we need to head to the cliff." Luka agreed as they started moved again.

They kept moving through the dense Emerald Forest once more. It was a little easier and faster trip back to the cliff than to the relic temple. Having the forest brunt down made it easier, but I digress. They would soon arrive at the cliff. The only thing in between them and victory was a stone structure.

Seiun was breathing heavily as he struggled to exit the forest and fall face first. "We finally made it! Yay…" He said as he lifted his hands in the air and the plop onto the ground.

Sprite would soon exit the forest as well. "Seiun, you alright? Are you already tired? You were pushing us to get a move on." She said as she walked over to Seiun.

"I'm fine…really. Just got a little overzealous." Seiun answered as he slowly stood back up.

"I see. Well, we must now get back on top of the cliff. As soon as everyone gets here." Sprite said as she saw the cliff and how tall it was.

DP would soon walk up along with Aquafina to follow.

Luka and the others would also arrive on the scene after a minute.

"Oh good. Everybody is here." Sprite said.

"How cute. You waited for us." DP said before taking out a Dr. Pepper and drinking it. "Also how did you get past me?" He asked.

Sprite rolled her eyes. "We were supposed to come back with a partner. Of course, we waited." She said. "Maybe you were just a slower than you thought." She replied.

"I guess. Must have dodged a few more trees than you." DP said to himself.

"Uh, so you leave me behind?" Aquafina asked in a confused tone of voice.

"You're here, aren't you?" Sprite asked as she put her hands behind herself.

"Well, in any case. Have yall found anything?" DP asked before he took another drink of his Dr. Pepper.

"We just got here. We haven't investigated yet." Sprite replied.

"Please tell me Ozpin didn't expect us to climb up?" Fanta asked, being unamused.

"Oh gods, I hope not. I'm not prepared to climb." Seiun said not looking forward to climbing. "I'm not exactly very fit." He added.

"Uh, guys, I can carry yall up the cliff. I have a suit." DP said as he pointed at his suit.

"That would take way too long. Carrying us one by one? It would be faster to find something that could possible lead up to the cliff." Nas explained.

"So, we shall find a way. Come on." Sprite said as they walked towards the stone structure.

They walked across the field with stone pillars. They would step onto the stone bridge and look around for a way up.

"Goodness, this is a long drop." DP said as he kicked a rock down while he looked down.

"How about you look for a way up instead?" Fanta said as she put her hands on her hips.

"Tsh" DP said as he looked up and then continued along the bridge.

Fanta shook her head and then moved along the bridge as well.

Sprite was looking around at the cliff itself as she walked across the bridge. "Hm." She said to herself while she thinks. She had one hand on her chin as she rested her arm on her other hand.

Aquafina was following Sprite, while he had his hand in his jacket pockets. "You thinking there's an entrance of some kind?" He asked.

"I would expect the headmaster of Beacon to give us something. Unless he really wants to climb up. It wouldn't exactly give Beacon points if they didn't make a way back up to the cliff." Sprite said. Before she lowered her arms and stopped in her tracks.

"True but climbing up the cliff wouldn't be out of the picture." Aquafina said as he walked up to Sprite and stood next to her.

"I suppose, but we must keep looking." Sprite said as she started to walk again.

Aquafina shrugged before he follows Sprite.

"Find anything Luka!?" Seiun asked as he was at the bottom of the stone tower, while he looked up.

"Not yet!" Luka yelled back as she looked down before looking back up as she looked around.

Seiun sighed and then leaned back into the tower.

"You think that Nevermore will follow us?" Henry asked as he was looking around.

"No, that Nevermore didn't sense, nor did it see us. We should be fine." Nas explained.

"You think so? You think the fire huntsmen able to kill it? It might come over here." Seiun said as he crossed his arms.

"That's assuming they are incompetent. Although it isn't exactly easy to kill a Nevermore." Nas said.

"Let's hope so. I rather not deal with Grimm." Seiun said as he looked at in the distance seeing the seemingly bottomless pit filled with fog.

"I would have to agree on that. It would be best to avoid meaningless fights." Nas said.

"Guys! I think I found something!" Luka yelled.

"What is it Luka?!" Sprite yelled back as she looked up at her.

Luka pointed towards at the bottom of the cliff. "I see some sort of doorway! It might be worth a shot!" She yelled before she jumped down.

They all look over there seeing old looking doorway. It looked poorly lit.

"It looks like it could lead back up to the cliff top. Let's check it out." Sprite said as everyone had gathered where Sprite was standing.

"Finally, we are almost there. Hopefully, it's not filled with Grimm." Fanta said as she stretched.

"I don't think they would allow Grimm to stay near the Cliff where they launch first year students." DP said as he finished off his Dr. Pepper.

"Whatever the case, we can at least kill smaller Grimm easier and faster." Seiun said.

"Let's hope it isn't too terribly small. Anyway, let's move." Sprite said as she started to walk towards the dark tunnel.

They nodded in agreement and followed Sprite. They leisurely scroll across the rest of the bridge. As they were getting closer to the doorway, there was a loud roar behind them that sounded it was not too far away. They all turned around to see what the origin was.

"Oh great. What now?!" DP yelled.

One by one, a tree would shake with great force, but only for a second. The mystery noise would get closer and closer with each tree being shook.

"Everyone! Make way to the entrance before whatever that is catches up!" Sprite commanded as she bolted for the stairway.

They nodded as they ran to the Stairway while being chased. They ran across the stone-cold bridge as their hearts beat faster. They got closer and closer to the stairway, but then, another roar was heard.

"What the dust is that!? Is something else here!?" DP yelled while they ran.

The roar was heard again but a lot closer. Suddenly, a giant black feathery beast revealed itself. The Nevermore. It landed in front of the stairway blocking it.

The young huntsmen in training stopped dead in their tracks. They would stare at the Nevermore for a few seconds before they would turn around to see it was a Deathstalker following them.

"We are trapped in the middle of the bridge! What do we do?!" Fanta asked as she extended her gauntlets on her arms.

"Seiun, Luka, Nas, and Henry can you take the Deathstalker? we Can yall handle the Nevermore." Sprite asked as she pulled out her sword.

"I believe we can." Seiun answered. "Didn't want to deal with Grimm, I guess it was inevitable."

"Let's go bird hunting! As it will live…NEVERMORE!" DP said as his suit covered his body as he gripped his fist and raised in front of him.

Sprite and groaned. "This is NOT the time for making stupid puns!" She yelled as she twirled her sword and then grabbed the handle.

Aquafina would chuckle a little as he pulled out his staff.

Fanta rolled her eyes and extend her gauntlets. "I hope I can punch this bird down..." She said to herself.

Seiun, Luka, Henry, and Nas would run at and then engage the Deathstalker as Sprite and others would fight the Nevermore.

DP would shoot a laser at the Nevermore.

The Nevermore would block the Laser with its wings. It then would fire its feathers at them.

Sprite would spin her sword rapidly to gather the feathers using wind. She then would fire them back the Nevermore.

The Nevermore would get hit by some of the feathers and scream in pain.

The scream was very powerful. Sprite, Fanta, Aquafina, and DP would get pushed back by it. They would also raise their arms to block it and duck their heads.

Seiun and the others would feel this, but not as strong. Only enough to disorientate them for a second.

The Deathstalker, after it adjusted itself, would try to stab Seiun with its Stinger.

Seiun eyes widen, before he dodged out of the way of Deathstalker's stinger. He then would shoot in the face with his shotgun.

Deathstalker would scream and then smack Seiun with its claw.

"Ahh!" Seiun screamed as he slid across the ground.

"Seiun!" Luka yelled as She reached out for Seiun. "Henry! Nas! Cover me! Seiun needs help!" She said as she ran over to Seiun.

"Right on it!" Henry replied as he fired a series of bullets at the Deathstalker.

Nas nodded as he transformed his spear into a whip.

The Deathstalker would block Henry's shots with its claws. It then would try to stab with its stinger again.

Nas would whip it before it got close.

Meanwhile, Seiun would stop sliding on the stone bridge about halfway. "Ow…That might claw at me for the rest of the day..." He said as he slowly got up while holding his weapon.

Luka would run up. "You okay?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah yeah.. I can walk it off." Seiun replied.

Luka smiled and nodded. "That's good." She said.

"Ah Dust!" Henry yelled before getting smacked next to Luka and Seiun.

Nas ran away from the Deathstalker, but also got got hit landed in front of them.

The Deathstalker roared at then ran at them.

Meanwhile, with the Nevermore.

"I freaking hate birds!" Aquafina yelled as he blocked the beck of the Nevermore with the Blades of his Staff.

"You're telling me!" DP yelled as he ran up and punched the Nevermore in the face.

The Nevermore would get knocked back and stumble back.

Sprite would quickly run at the Nevermore and jump up. She then would cut its underneath multiple times and then jump off using its chest.

The Nevermore would scream again then it as it stumbled. It then would try and not to slip.

Aquafina quickly cycled his chamber in his staff to ice dust. "Have a nice trip, oversize bird!" He said before he fired the ice dust on the floor next where the Nevermore was going.

The Nevermore lost its balance then fell onto its back.

Fanta ran towards to towards the Nevermore. As she got closer, she jumped up and made a long aura shaped bone. She then slammed it into the bridge causing part of the bridge, bathed in ice, to break.

The Nevermore, screaming, as it fell along with the broken parts of the bridge.

DP jumped up in the air and fist bumped the air. "Dust yeah! Teamwork baby!" He said.

"Can this Deathstalker just die?!" Seiun complained as he his bat clashed with the Deathstalker's claws.

"We need some sort of plan!" Luka said as she jumped over Seiun and slashed at the stinger.

The Deathstalker whelped in pain and spun them off.

Both Luka and Seiun were knocked back and landed next to each other.

Henry would shoot at it to keep it at bay. "We barely do any damage to it. We can't keep this up." He said.

"We need a way to kill it in one shot." Nas suggested as he helped both Luka and Seiun get up.

"Maybe…We can use its own stinger against itself? Maybe a few of us distract it while one of us gets it to stab itself?" Seiun asked as he was breathing heavily.

"I think I can cut its stinger off. Then you could smack into its face." Luka said as she was getting tired.

"Henry, do you think you can shield bash the claws for long enough for me to kill it?" Seiun asked.

"I think so, but I might a little help with that." Henry replied.

"I can stab it in the eyes since Seiun shot some of them already. It should get blinded." Nas said.

"Alright! Sounds like a plan! Henry get in there! Luka follow Henry. Nas help them and I'll go for the final blow." Seiun stated.

"You think you will be strong enough to kill it Seiun?" Luka asked.

"Yeah…I might be very fit, but I can do it." Seiun replied.

They nodded before they all charged at the Deathstalker.

The Deathstalker roared and swung his claw at them.

Henry blocked it with his shield.

Nas would stab the Deathstalker in the eye with his Spear.

The Deathstalker would scream in pain.

Luka, as this was happening, jumped over everyone, and cut the stinger off. She would grab the tail and use it to get back behind everyone.

Seiun would use his bat to bash the stinger into its face as hard as he could.

The Deathstalker, unable to process the pain fast, stopped moving. It would slowly disappear into black smoke.

Seiun and them would cheer for their victory.

"Finally, it died! Thank gods! That took long enough." Seiun said as he put his weapon up. "Ow ow ow..my arms! They hurt." He said as he lowered them.

Luka giggled and patted his back "But we manage in the end. Good thinking with using its own stinger against itself. I believed in you to be strong enough." She complimented Seiun.

"Aw, thanks Luka." Seiun, gratefully, replied as he smiled.

"If yall are done patting each other on the back, we need to get a move on!" DP yelled from a far.

"Yeah, Pepper is right. We have to bring back the relics." Nas said.

"Right, of course! Let's go!" Seiun said as He and others would walk to the broken part of the bridge.

"So, how do we get across?" Fanta asked looking at the broken bridge.

"Well, I can carry people one by one possibly." DP suggested.

"We could make a bridge out of ice." Aquafina suggested.

"I might have enough aura to use my semblance to carry everyone with the wind." Sprite said.

"Do have enough ice dust to make a bridge?" Seiun asked.

"I have a couple…wait a second. Do you have any water dust on you Aquafina?" DP asked.

"You wanna use both water and ice dust to make a bridge?" Aquafina asked as he checks.

"That's the plan!" DP replied.

"I do appear to have some." Aquafina said.

"Thank gods. This is nearly over." Sprite said. "Let's just get to the top of the cliff already." She said being very annoyed.

"Yeah, I can't take much more of this." Seiun agreed.

Aquafina and DP would create a bridge vita ice and water dust. Aqua would use water dust to make a structure. DP then would use ice dust to make it solid and able to walk across.

"Alright, let's finally end this." Sprite said once again as she and everyone would walk across the bridge.

They would slowly walk across the icy bridge, after the intense Grimm battles. As they reached the halfway point of the icy bridge, they heard a familiar roar coming from across the canyon.

They all stopped and turned their heads towards the noise to see…the Nevermore flying towards them.

"How is that Nevermore alive?!" Sprite angrily asked as she tighten her fists.

"Oh my gods! What do we do?! There's no way we can fight that thing!" Seiun said as he starting to shake.

DP rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Ugh…No, I am done. I have had it UP to here!" He said before his suit covered his body. "Give it all you people got!" He said before he started to charge a laser.

"Yeah..we are doing this now." Sprite said before she started to gather up wind and sent it towards the Nevermore

Henry would take his shield transform it back into a LMG and start to unload into the Nevermore.

Fanta sighed and started to shoot the Nevermore with her gauntlets.

Aquafina pulled out his staff and shot everything her had at the Nevermore.

The Nevermore simply tank the shots and keep on flying fast at them. It would roar as it flew. It was about to reach them.

"I.. WILL NOT! Lose to some bird! Let the light guide to the UNDYING LIGHT! THE LIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE DARKNESS!" DP, at the last second, fired his laser into the open mouth of the Nevermore. It about to destroy the bridge. His laser would go straight through the Nevermore and across the canyon.

The Nevermore, instantly, vaporized into black smoke. The canyon behind it would be spilt open, only for a moment, before the fog would cover back up.

DP would stop firing and breath heavily. He would also fall onto the ground as his suit transformed into a backpack again.

"Fire dust! That was amazing!" Aquafina said being very impressed.

"Holy dust! That was overwhelming! Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Seiun said as he was breathing rapidly.

"Well, done. Cutting a little close but that did the trick." Sprite said.

"Thanks…guys…. Let's hurry to the top of the cliff before something else happens." DP said as he was breathing heavily.

"Yeah, we better go." Nas said as he was mostly fascinated by the laser.

They all nodded and most of them would head for the Stairway.

DP would slowly get up, but Fanta walked up and help him.

"Thanks for the save.. Atlesian." Fanta said as she helped him up.

"Uhm, you're welcome…Fanta." DP said as him and Fanta would follow the others to the stairs.

They would all enter as they walked up the dark, poorly lit stairway. They soon saw the light at the top after walking for a few minutes.

"There's a light! We are almost there!" Seiun said excitedly as he pointed, while walking.

They would reach the light and walk out of the cave. Light filled their eyes as they walked out. They would soon readjust to only be greeted by Ozpin himself.

"Well done students. All of you, officially, completed the initiation. You will be assigned to teams back in the auditorium. Please hand me your relics and you can start to head back." Ozpin explained. "Welcome to step one of becoming a huntsmen and huntress."


End file.
